Pokémon: Best Wishes!
by SoberHeartless
Summary: Journey across the Unova Region with Ash and Pikachu and the new friends they make along the way! There will be tough battles, exciting adventures, and amazing surprises as Ash Ketchum, as determined as ever, travels to the Unova League!
1. Beginnings Around the World!

_Author's Note_: Hello, all! So, everywhere I visit it seems that people seem to do nothing but spread hatred about the Best Wishes series of the Pokémon animé. So, I thought it could be cool if I could create my own. Technically, it **isn't** a fan-fic in terms of chapters, but more of like a show with episodes, as that is how I'll be referring to them. I'm kind of rusty when it comes to story writing, as I haven't attempted to in quite a bit, so constructive criticism in terms of writing and grammatical errors would be greatly appreciated. Also, like the writers of the animé do in real life, I also have the story and plot already thought out, now it's just time for me to flesh it out! Well, thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope you enjoy!

**Pokémon: **_Best __Wishes_

Episode 1: **Beginnings Around the World**[

Welcome to the world of Pokémon! It is a magical place where humans live alongside mysterious creatures called Pokémon. There are many different kinds of Pokémon, each with special traits and powers. Humans and Pokémon try to always live harmoniously together by helping each other out, whether it is by simply living together, or battling together. Pokémon are by humans' sides always, and that's the way it should be. 

* * *

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Hilda's alarm clock rang violently. She slithered from under the covers of her bed, and yawned. She rubbed her eyes gently. "WOO-HOO," Hilda shouted to the top of her lungs.

"I take it that means that you're up," Hilda's mother joked as she walked into Hilda's bedroom.

"Morning, mom," Hilda smiled at her mother.

"So, when are your friends planning to come over here? Cheren's bringing the Pokémon, right?" Hilda's mom asked.

"They should be here in about an hour!" Hilda outstretched her arms. She walked over to her bedroom window, out-looking the sun-filled Nuvema Town. "Finally, I'll get to travel! Just think about all the adventures I'll go on, all the people I'll get to meet, ALL THE BOYS!" Hilda began to ramble on in excitement.

"I get it, you're excited. But, dear, shouldn't you clean your room?" Hilda's face dropped, in disbelief that she actually brought that up at a time like this. "I mean, it's a mess. It's almost as if your brother still lives here!"

"Haha, very funny," Hilda stuck her tongue out.

"Well, clean your room, and get dressed! You're still in your pajamas! They'll be here in about an hour! I'll see you guys later; I'm going to do some shopping. Bye now!" Hilda and her mom said goodbye and her mom left the room.

"What she doesn't know, is that I'm actually scared out of my mind of going on a journey. I mean, yeah I'm 16 and am more than capable of going on my own, but it's hard…" Hilda whispered to herself while looking out her window.

* * *

"Mom, I'm 16 and more than capable of going on my own! It's easy!" Ash pleaded to his mother back in Pallet Town.

"Pikapi,' Pikachu chimed in.

"I know dear, but Unova's so far away! Where'd you even hear about this place?" Delia questioned.

"Ya see, Gary shot me an email, and it said that there's a region far away called Unova which has a Pokémon League and Pokémon that I haven't seen before. Ya see, it's so far away, that no other Pokémon from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, or Sinnoh live there! That's super exciting! Mom, ya just gotta let me go! You've let me travel far away since I was 10!"

"Pika!" Pikachu chimed in again.

"Oh, Pikachu…if you really want to go, I'll think about it…" Delia smiled and playfully pushed her son as she left the room.

"Of course, she'll listen to you over her own son, right Pikachu?" Ash said hopefully.

"Pika!" Pikachu smiled happily.

"Ya see, Pikachu. It's just that, after exploring through all those regions, I feel that if I travel again, from the very beginning, in a new region with Pokémon I've never seen before, without familiar ones to rely on, I could tune in back to the times of when I first started!" Ash tried to explain.

"Pika?" Pikachu tilted his head trying to understand.

"I want to recapture the times of when I just started. That fiery passion, mixed with all the experience I've already picked up over the years. With that, there's no way that I shouldn't be able to beat the Unova League! Sure, it's farther away than all the other places we've been, but it'd be awesome! You understand, right Pikachu?"

"Pika!" he nodded his head.

"Now, how do we force Mom to have to say yes…?" Ash began to think. "Oh, I got it!"

* * *

DING DONG!

"Oh, I got it! Coming! Coming! Oh man, wait!" Hilda shouted at the door as she was doing her hair in the mirror. "Now, the finishing touches…" she brushed down her two front locks.

DING DONG!

"OK! I'm coming!" Hilda ran to her front door, and opened it to see Cheren and Bianca.

"Finally! What were you doing in there?!" Cheren asked feverishly.

"Girl stuff, you wouldn't understand, Cheren…or maybe you would! I don't know about you lately…" Hilda joked.

Bianca busted out laughing. Hilda and Cheren made an awkward face.

"B, it wasn't _that_ funny…" Cheren remarked.

Bianca finally caught hold of herself. "Oh, never mind that! Let's go upstairs to your room, Hilda! I want to see the Pokémon and see what Professor Juniper wants us to do!" Bianca cheerfully rushed her friends up the stairs.

"Wait B, hold up…." Cheren said as he stumbled into Hilda's room.

"What, Cheren!" Bianca said impatiently.

"We have to make a pact first." Cheren said.

"Pact, about what?" Hilda questioned.

"That whatever Pokémon we get we will be happy with. We choose by complete random selection, fair enough?" Cheren delegated.

"Sure, but before we choose, read the letter!" Bianca said. She was anxiously excited about getting a task from the Professor.

Cheren reached for the letter. Hilda quickly snatched the letter up spitefully and began to read. "Dear Cheren, Hilda, and Bianca, the following three Pokémon are entrusted to you three by me. I am doing research on Pokémon Origins, and I first want to start by figuring out what Pokémon live in the Unova Region currently. So, with your Pokémon, I want you all to travel and go on a journey to fill out the Pokédex, which I will give to you all when you come to my lab and have already selected your Pokémon. See you soon, Professor Juniper." Hilda read out in an authoritative voice.

"Fill out the Pokédex, that seems very interesting, but first, the Pokémon…Seeing as this is Hilda's house, she should choose first." Cheren said in a solemn voice.

"Oh, this is so exciting!" Bianca said in a squealing voice.

Hilda took a deep breath. She reached into the box with her eyes closed and picked up a Poké Ball.

BAM! "HILDA, I'M HOME!" Hilda's mother slammed the door loudly, letting everyone know that she has arrived, and in the commotion, Hilda dropped the Poké Ball.

"OK MOM! WE'RE SELECTING THE POKÉMON NOW!" Hilda shouted back.

Hilda took another deep breath and reached in. Cheren followed, and Bianca did the same action. With 3 hands in the box, they all took out their hands, each with a Poké Ball.

"The moment of truth…who is my partner…?" Cheren sighed.

"Hold on!" Bianca shouted.

"What's up, B?" Hilda asked.

"I want to be the first of us to see our Pokémon! Ya see, you two have always been ahead of me in everything else, so I want to be ahead of you in this, go Poké Ball!" Bianca tossed her Poké Ball in the air, and a big white energy beam emerged, and it formulated into the silhouette of her Starter Pokémon.

"Oh, so that's what you got! It's fitting!" Cheren complimented.

Bianca's Pokémon looked at her with its big black eyes. She picked it up. "Oh, what a cutie! Guys, I've gone and picked the best one, an Oshawott!"

"Osha….?" It blushed heavily after receiving the compliment.

"Oh, come here!" Bianca cuddled the Oshawott really close, making Hilda and Cheren watch awkwardly.

"Well, B, I'm happy for you! I think that you and Oshawott will have a great future together! Now, it's time to see what Pokémon I got!" Hilda said in a hopeful voice. She stood up and tossed her Poké Ball lightly into the air. The same visuals from the aforementioned Poké Ball occurred.

"Oh, this one's cute too! Cheren, this one's called a Tepig, right?" Hilda asked.

"Yeah, and now I know my Pokémon, so there's no need to send it out now." Cheren was reserved.

"Wait, did I miss something? Cheren, how could you possibly know what Pokémon is inside there?" Bianca questioned while unwarily suffocating her Oshawott.

"Well, by deduction," Hilda began to answer, "if you started with Oshawott, and I started with Tepig, that means that Cheren has a Snivy in that Ball." Hilda said trying to sound smart.

"Pig…" Tepig sighed and curled itself up and began to nap, completely uninterested in what was happening around it.

"Oh, Tepig, don't go to sleep now! Hi, I'm your new trainer! My name is Hilda! Nice to meet you!" Hilda smiled at her Tepig.

"Pig…" Tepig uninterestedly opened its eyes, observed its trainer, and then closed them again and resumed sleeping.

"Wow…" Hilda was taken aback by this.

"That's weird…your Tepig doesn't even seem to be interested that it's going on a journey…" Bianca muttered while suffocating Oshawott to its limit!

"WOTT!" Oshawott opened its mouth, and a forceful shot of water came and hit Bianca in the face! She was soaked.

Cheren and Hilda just watched, holding in their deep desire to laugh.

Bianca was speechless. The Oshawott looked down, disappointed by its actions. "Oh, my, God, THAT WAS THE BEST FRENZY PLANT I'VE EVER SEEN!" Bianca shouted in admiration as she picked up her Oshawott and began to hug it uncontrollably.

Cheren couldn't help but laugh lawlessly.

"What's so funny, Cheren?" Bianca questioned.

Cheren couldn't stop himself from laughing so Hilda had to explain.

"You see, B, it's that that was a Water Gun just now! Oshawott can't learn Frenzy Plant." Hilda said genuinely, happy she's helping Bianca out.

"Oops, seems like I messed up on that one! But that's even better! YOU KNOW WATER GUN! THAT'S LIKE TEN TIMES STRONGER THAN FRENZY PLANT!" Bianca shouted.

Cheren stopped himself from laughing. "B, you're so dumb, I bet that you couldn't even beat Hilda in a battle, even _with_ Oshawott!" Cheren joked.

Hilda shot Cheren a stare.

Bianca looked down at the floor. It became an awkward silence. "Well, I'm going to go home now, and show my Dad my Oshawott, see you guys later at the lab…" Bianca said sadly, as she slowly left the room.

"What's her deal?" Cheren asked.

Hilda hit him hard. "Ow! What's that for?!" Cheren shouted.

"You know, Cheren, this isn't the first time you've flown your mouth off and said something hurtful to Bianca! She understands that she's not the best when it comes to Pokémon Training, but she's trying, and the least you could do is be an actual friend!" Hilda lectured Cheren.

"Ugh, take a joke, girls are so sensitive!" Cheren complained, just as Hilda's mother walked in the room.

"Hey, why did Bianca just leave in tears?" Hilda's mother asked.

"In tears?" Cheren had to repeat.

"Yeah, she looked really sad, and so did her new Oshawott, I hope they'll be okay…" Hilda's mother said.

Hilda shot Cheren a look.

* * *

Delia shot Ash a look. "Honey, what exactly is this?" They were in the kitchen. Ash had a dish covered with a metal bowl. He lifted the bowl, and there was a cake engraved with icing saying, "Hey, you're the best mom, and this is crazy, but here's my ticket, so Unova maybe?"

Delia giggled. "So, you went out of your way to bake a cake, make a rhyming jingle, and buy a ticket?"

"I made the jingle, Pikachu bought the ticket, and Mr. Mime made the cake!" Ash sheepishly admitted.

"Mime, Mime!" Mr. Mime was happy for getting acknowledged.

"Well, I mean, sure. Since you're so determined, go! You can leave tonight if you want!" Delia smiled.

"Aww, thanks mom!" Ash ran up to his Mom and hugged her tight. "I'll go pack!" Ash ran up the stairs to his room to go pack.

"Pika!" Pikachu ran up after him.

"And there he goes again…" Delia whispered to herself.

* * *

"And there he goes again…" Hilda said to herself, annoyed by what Cheren had done. He had left quite a bit earlier. Hilda and her mom were now standing in their kitchen, putting away groceries.

"So, you guys are going to meet up at Professor Juniper's lab in about a half-hour, right?" Hilda's mom asked.

"Yeah, isn't that right, Gigi?" Hilda playfully said to her Tepig, who was napping by her leg.

"Gigi? Is that a boy or a girl Tepig?" Hilda's mother asked.

"I don't know, but Gigi works either way, anyway, even though it sleeps a lot, it's still really cute, and I'm happy I got it!" Hilda smiled at her mom. Her mom left the room to put some other things away.

Hilda exhaled deeply. "Why does Cheren have to always go there? He thinks he's so much better than everyone else sometimes, it just drives me crazy…" she said to Gigi. It snored loudly in response. "Then again, your sleeping drives me crazy!" Hilda joked around, knowing that her Tepig was long off.

* * *

"Ash, dear, please, take care of yourself in a new place. You'll be boarding in a place called Castelia City. It'll take quite a long time before you arrive, so I've paid a bit extra so you'll be put in a nice room. The liner goes through the Decolore Islands one way, so unlike other ships, it's direct without stopping. Soon, you'll be long off!"

Delia stood before Ash, whose back was towards the huge boat. It was about evening time. "Aw, thanks, Mom! You're the best; you really know how to spoil a kid!" Ash joked around. Delia than ran up and hugged Ash, and she began to tear up. "Mom, what's wrong?"

"Pika?" Pikachu was confused as well.

Delia took a step back and rubbed the tears away from her eyes. "No, it's just that, with you going away again, I'll be all by my lonesome… Well, Mimey will keep me company. Besides, I can't keep my sweetie from traveling. It's what you do best! Now, you go! And you better win the Unova League! Show them what trainers from Pallet Town are all about! And like always, I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines, and waiting for you when you get home!" Delia said while smiling at her son.

Ash nodded his head in agreement. "PIKA!" Pikachu waved goodbye to Delia.

"Bye, Mom; I'll make sure to do my very best! And you take care of yourself as well! See ya!" Ash and Pikachu bolted off and boarded the ship, as Delia watched on tear-filled, but smiling.

"It's always hard to say goodbye…" Delia said to herself.

* * *

"It's always hard to say goodbye, honey, but you can't stop her from going on her journey!"

"And why the heck not?! Our baby girl is not ready to go out into the world on her own as of yet! She may have a Pokémon now, but it is young, and I doubt that it could protect our daughter!"

Bianca sulked upstairs in her room as she overheard her parents arguing in the kitchen downstairs. She looked at her Oshawott which was curiously going through her wardrobe, not minding the noise from downstairs.

"Osha?" Oshawott picked up a big green and white colored hat.

"Oh, sweetie, that's my favorite hat! It'd look adorable on you, so try it on!" Bianca smiled at her Pokémon.

"OSHA?!" Oshawott's eyes glistened upon hearing its trainer's words of approval, and it put on the big hat.

"Oh, how adorable! Come here!" Bianca picked up her Oshawott and hugged it tight.

"HONEY! THE ANSWER IS NO! SHE IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" Bianca's Dad said in an angry voice.

"WHY DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO TRY TO BE SO CONTROLLING! YOU'RE DRIVING YOUR DAUGHTER AWAY AND SOON ENOUGH YOU'LL BE DRIVING ME AWAY! SHE WILL NOT MISS THIS OPPURTUNITY!" Bianca's mother shouted back.

Bianca lay back in her bed, letting Oshawott continue to go through her wardrobe. "Maybe Dad's right and Cheren too…I'm just a stupid baby who doesn't even know a Water Gun from a Frenzy Plant…"

"Osha?" Oshawott noticed its trainer's attitude. "Osha…" Oshawott then got sad and sprawled itself out on the floor in disappointment.

"Oh, hon, what's wrong?" Bianca picked it up in worry.

"Osha…" it looked down at the floor.

"Oh, I guess that you seeing me being all sad must've made you all sad too. I'm sorry, Oshawott." Bianca apologized.

"Osha…" it replied.

"Hey, I have an idea, why don't we sneak out! It's almost the time that all of us are supposed to be outside of Professor Juniper's lab!" Bianca suggested happily.

"Osha?!" It was confused.

"Bianca, dear, your father and I have been discussing, and I'm sorry honey, but you can't- "

Bianca's mother walked into the room and saw that it was unoccupied and the window was open, letting the cool evening breeze blow in. "That's my girl…" she whispered to herself.

"HONEY, DID YOU TELL HER?!" The Dad shouted from downstairs.

"YEAH, DEAR! AND SHE'S JUST _HEARTBROKEN_!" Bianca's mother smiled and went back downstairs.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, OH DEAR!" Bianca was running at a rapid pace to catch up with her friends at the front of Professor Juniper's lab. While running, she tripped over a rock and fell flat on her face! "Bianca, you've got to pull yourself together!" Bianca stood up, wiped herself off, and continued to run the rest of the way.

...

"WOO! WOOBAT!" Several Woobat flew overheard in the glistening navy blue sky.

"Wow! The Woobat are so pretty! Don't you think, Cheren?" Hilda asked.

"Yeah! I can't wait to get my Pokédex and scan one in it!" Cheren said competitively.

"Hey, wouldn't it be hilarious, if I ended up completing my Pokédex before you?" Hilda joked.

"It would be even funnier if _B_ finished hers before the both of us!" Cheren joked.

Hilda didn't think this was funny. She slapped him across the face. "OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"

"I'm serious, Cheren. You better stop that! If we're going to travel together, you're going to have to stop making fun of B! You've already made her cry once for the night, and quite frankly, I've had enough of 'Let's Make Fun of B because I'm so awesome' from you!" Hilda lectured again.

Cheren looked down at the floor. "So, do you want to battle?" he said trying to change the topic.

"You've got to be kidding me! Did you hear a word I just said?!"

"Hilda, do you want to battle or not! If we want to complete the Pokédex, we're going to have to go far and wide! And if our Pokémon are weak and can't protect us, it's no good. So, how about we get a head start?"

"You're unbelievable…ugh; I'm not doing anything of the sort until B gets here!"

"She's late, like usual…" Cheren sighed.

"She must have a logical explanation." Hilda reassured.

"Does she ever?" Cheren whispered to himself.

Hilda and Cheren continued to wait outside Professor Juniper's lab. The wind began to pick up, and a gentle breeze whistled through.

* * *

"Pikachu, you feel that breeze? It's great, isn't it?" Ash asked his best friend and partner, as he overlooked the sea from the outer deck of the boat.

"Pika!" Pikachu responded joyfully.

"Well, buddy, it's just you and me again! I can't wait to dock in Unova, all the new adventures, I just can't wait!" Ash couldn't contain himself. He jumped back and began to slip over the railing!

"PIKAPI!" Pikachu jumped and held on to Ash. Ash edged, and Pikachu kept edging towards the tip of the railing.

"AAAAH! HELP!" Ash repeatedly shouted.

"HOLY -, I'm coming!" A boy with an afro quickly ran to Ash, and pulled him and his Pikachu up.

"Wow, bro that was a close one! You could've seriously fallen overboard!" the boy said in a worried voice.

Ash was still sighing trying to recover from what happened.

"You're still trying to catch your breath… well; it makes no sense for me to stay out here…" the boy looked up to the sky. "Unless, you need anything…"

Ash finally recovered. "Wow, thanks a bunch! I'm so happy that you came when you did! At night, especially when most people are indoors, I would've been a goner. Thanks, seriously!" Ash agilely shook his hand.

"Pika!" Pikachu thanked the boy as well.

"Hey, are you in a rush?" Ash asked.

"Hm?" he wasn't ready to put too much effort in.

"Well, I haven't really made any friends on this ship so far, that's actually why I came out here, to see if anyone else was too."

"If you wanted to meet people, you should have checked inside…" the boy was suspicious.

"Oh, well, I didn't like it inside, wasn't my style. I prefer to be out in the open air, you know what I mean?"

"I guess…"

"Anyway, my name is Ash. I'm traveling to Unova to conquer the Unova League!"

The boy scoffed. "Listen, kid, well, Ash, I don't think you know what Unova's about."

"What do you mean? Have you been there?" Ash questioned. Meanwhile, Pikachu continued to look out at the sea, carefully of course.

"Would you look at the time?! I got to go, see ya 'round, Ash, right?" the boy walked off.

Ash stared blankly as the mysterious boy walked away. "Hmm…" Ash was unsure.

* * *

"Hmm, B should be here by now…" Cheren complained.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!" Bianca finally arrived. She was exhausted and out of breath.

"B! You're finally here! Now, let's get a move on!" Hilda said excitedly. She rang Professor Juniper's doorbell.

The Professor slowly opened the door. "Oh! Good evening, you three finally arrived! Come in!" Professor Juniper allowed for the three to walk in. "So, you know why you guys are here, right?" Professor Juniper said in a hopeful voice.

"We're going to receive Pokédexes from you, isn't that right, Professor?" Cheren asked.

"Great, so it seems that you have all read my letter then!" Professor Juniper smiled. "One for you, one for you, and finally, one for you!" Professor Juniper gave them out.

"To complete the Pokédex, it'll take a strong partner! My Snivy and I will definitely complete this for you professor!" Cheren vowed. Professor Juniper smiled.

"Gigi and I will do our best to complete the Pokédex as well, Professor! This is going to be a fun journey, I can tell!" Hilda said happily.

"Yeah, Oshawott and I will do our best!" Bianca said proudly.

"That's what I like to hear! There's nothing like a little competition! But, it's a little late, how about you three stay at mine tonight?" Juniper offered.

"That'd be great!" Bianca beamed.

With Cheren, Bianca, and Hilda all receiving starter Pokémon and Pokédexes, their journey is sure to be wild! When Ash gets to Unova, what adventures will he experience? Answers, as the journey continues!

So, that's my premier episode! What do you think? Reviews and constructive criticism? Thanks for taking the time to read this!


	2. Sealing the Deal for Future Victories!

**Pokémon: **_Best __Wishes_

Episode 1: **Sealing the Deal for Future Victories!**

Ash is currently traveling to the Unova Region by boat, where he plans to take on the Unova League and emerge victorious! Meanwhile, Bianca, Cheren, and Hilda are beginning their journeys to complete the Pokédex.

* * *

"Wow, Pikachu! Would you look at the sea!" Ash shouted out.

"Pika!" Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder and looked at the rich blue sea. The sun's rays reflecting off of the waves, creating beautiful sparkles. It was afternoon time, and the outer deck of the boat was very populated. Music was playing, the sun was shining, and people were having fun. Ash however, was just observing the sea.

"Hey, Pikachu, look at the Luvdisc!" Ash pointed out, as two of the Rendezvous Pokémon rhythmically leaped out of the water and crossed each other. "Wow…" Ash was amazed. The boat was traveling at an amazing speed. "Shouldn't be long now, Pikachu! We should be there in no time!" Ash reassured.

"Pika!" Pikachu looked out at the sea in wonder.

"It's beautiful isn't it, the sea?" an old lady who stood next to Ash said.

"Woah," Ash jumped back. "Oh, you scared me, yeah the sea is amazing!" Ash was truly caught off guard. Suddenly the wind began to pick up, blowing Ash's hat overboard! "No, my hat!" Ash looked on in horror as it flew over the edge.

"No worries, young man! Go!" The old lady threw a Poké Ball, and a pink heart shaped Pokémon with fins on its top and bottom dived elegantly into the ocean. Ash and Pikachu looked on in wonder. "Now, would you please return this young man's hat?" the lady requested.

"Mola!" it replied. It caught Ash's hat, and made a stellar leap from the waves over the railing of the ship and into the old lady's arms!

"Thanks, sweetheart, return." The lady returned her Pokémon. "Here you go!" She returned Ash's hat.

"That Pokémon, is it like an evolved form of Luvdisc?" Ash questioned. The lady began to giggle.

"Oh, heavens, no! My Pokémon is called an Alomomola! It is the Caring Pokémon, and it is native to the Unova Region! Pay attention to the waters, son. You see Luvdisc, but as we near Unova, you'll begin to see Alomomola instead!" The lady warmly said.

"Wow, so Unova has those kind of Pokémon! I can't wait! Can you, Pikachu?" Ash said to his partner.

"Pika!" Pikachu responded in excitement. The lady smiled.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I need to repay you…" Ash said in a hurried voice.

"Oh, no, deary! You just make sure your hat doesn't go flying off now! Have a good day!" the lady said as she walked off.

Ash made a blank expression. "Wow; that was nice of her. I wonder if all people from Unova are that nice…" Then Ash heard laughter from behind him.

"People are still saving you I see, Ash…" a familiar voice said to him. Ash turned around. "It is Ash, right?" the mysterious boy from the previous night asked.

"It's you!" Ash remembered him clearly.

* * *

"You guys ready to go?" Professor Juniper asked Cheren, Bianca, and Hilda who were all watching her TV in the living room.

"To think, this is the last time that we'll be able to watch TV anytime we want…" Bianca sighed.

"You get to go on an adventure! You won't have time to miss TV! Now, let's go guys! Oh, and send out your Pokémon! You'll need them for your first lesson!"

"Lesson?" Cheren thought aloud.

Cheren, Bianca, Hilda, and Professor Juniper exited the lab and walked to the outskirts of Nuvema Town, where they saw a sign saying "ROUTE 1 AHEAD!"

"Now, your lesson begins! Pokémon, guys!" Professor Juniper gestured with her hands hurriedly.

"Ok, Snivy, come on out!" Cheren commanded. His Pokémon came out with its hands crossed, and stuck its nose up to the sky.

"Oh, dear Oshawott, it's time to play!" Bianca shouted. Her Pokémon came out and jumped right into Bianca's arms. "Oh, you're already used to your spot! How cute!" Bianca smiled.

"All right, Gigi, let's join the others!" Hilda sent out her Tepig, which just like the day before, uninterestedly stared ahead.

"Ok guys, so first thing's first. Scan your Pokémon into your Pokédexes." Professor Juniper said authoritatively.

_'Snivy, the Grass Snake Pokémon. They photosynthesize by bathing their tails in sunlight. When they are not feeling well, their tails droop. / Tepig, the Fire Pig Pokémon. It blows fire through its nose. When it catches a cold, the fire becomes pitch-black smoke instead. / Oshawott, the Sea Otter Pokémon. The scalchop on its stomach is made from the same element as claws. It detaches the scalchop for use as a blade.'_

"Every time you see a new Pokémon, you scan it on the Pokédex. You can also use the Pokédex to check things like a Pokémon's power level, the moves they know, the gender they are, and other cool things." Professor Juniper lectured.

"So, this is a good time as any, since my Mom asked, to check something out." Hilda scanned her Gigi for further information. "Aha! You're a girl, Gigi!" Hilda pointed out. Her Tepig looked at her with unimpressed eyes, and looked away. Hilda nervously laughed.

"So, what's our first lesson, Professor? I'm anxious to find out!" Bianca asked.

"I'm going to teach you guys how to catch a Pokémon! Now, watch, go Minccino!" She threw her Ball in the air, and the Chinchilla Pokémon elegantly emerged. Hilda and Bianca watched in adoration at the cute Pokémon, while Cheren watched Professor Juniper closely for her next action. "Guys, first test failed! Remember, when you see a new Pokémon, what do you do?" Juniper said worriedly.

"OH! My bad!" They all grabbed for their Pokédex.

_'Minccino, the Chinchilla Pokémon. These Pokémon prefer a tidy habitat. They are always sweeping and dusting, using their tails as brooms.'_

* * *

Ash and the boy sat at a table on the outer deck. "So, your name's Darrien?" Ash asked.

"Yep, and yes, I have been to Unova, in fact, I'm _from_ there." He confessed.

"Wow! By any chance, Darrien, do you have any Pokémon of your own, from Unova?!" Ash excitedly said.

"You're just like them…" Darrien rudely got up from the table and began to walk away.

Ash got up too. "Wait, is it something I said? Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude…" Ash said while looking down.

Darrien looked down, and then up at the sky, then at Ash. He sighed and sat back down. Ash did too. "Look, my family is from Unova. We took a vacation to Kanto, but, things were complicated…"

"Complicated, how?" Ash butted in. Darrien shot him a look. "I mean, if you're willing…"

Darrien sighed. "Well, you seem to not be the judging type. Well, they pressured me a lot about being a Pokémon Trainer and following in my older brother's footsteps, but, you see; it's not my style. "

Ash nodded. "So, you're _not _a trainer, so…"

"No, I don't own any Pokémon of my own." Darrien completed his sentence.

"Oh, well, in my personal opinion I think you should try to reconcile with your family…" Ash said genuinely. Darrien laughed quietly.

"You see, it's a bit too late for that. I snuck off onto this boat, a stowaway people would say." He said calmly.

"What?! So, you left your family behind in Kanto! They must be worried!" Ash said in surprise. Pikachu was busy drinking Ash's and continuing off onto Darrien's orange juice.

"Eh, I needed a change of pace. I'm 18 after all, I'm an adult. And the life of a stowaway isn't that hard. I found an empty room and I can sleep there, and all I gotta do during the day is to keep myself busy. I blend right in with all the normal passengers." Darrien admitted proudly.

Ash looked down at the table and thought hard. "Hey, sleep with me tonight." He said sternly.

Darrien blinked and coughed when he heard that. "Excuse me?" he said looking up.

"Sleep in my room, tonight. What if they decide to suddenly check the room you sleep in, you could get discovered! Think of it as thanks for saving my life yesterday." Ash said completely oblivious to the innuendo he just said.

Darrien laughed to himself. "So, what, Ash, you sure you want to get messed up with me, you barely know me."

"True, but you don't seem that bad. So, tell me, what are you planning to do once you get back to Unova?" Ash asked interestedly.

"I'm going to try to be a Connoisseur. They do a lot less battling than Trainers, and it's a lot less pressure."

"Connoisseur, what do you have to do to be a connoisseur?" Ash was curious as he never heard of that occupation before.

"They check out the bonds between trainers and their Pokémon. Something my brother wouldn't be able to do…" Darrien trailed off.

"Wow, that's cool. So, what about me and Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"Hm?" Darrien looked weirdly at Ash.

"The bond between me and Pikachu, we'll be your very first clients!"

"Well, since I've never done this before, it might be faulty." Darrien admitted. He breathed in and out. He looked at Pikachu then back at Ash. "You two seem so close. Pikachu seems to act like you, too. Based on that, I can safely make the assumption that you two are very much in sync and have been through a lot together." Darrien said confidently.

Ash jumped up and lifted a caught off guard Pikachu in the air. "Ya hear that, Pikachu! We're in sync!"

Darrien laughed. "You're such a kid!" He joked.

"Hey, I'm only 2 years younger!" Ash retorted.

Darrien finished laughing. "Hm, you're not half bad Ash, and I think I will take you on that offer of yours."

"Great! And since my mom paid extra, you could sleep in the extra bed, and tell me all about Unova!" Ash leaned back in his chair and accidentally fell over. Darrien laughed to himself quietly.

"Heheheh, this kid is something else…"

* * *

"And that's how it's done! Now, I'm going to go on ahead to Accumula. Now, since I think it'd be great practice for the field, I'm going to have a competition. The first person out of you three who can capture a Pokémon gets something very special from me, now see you guys soon!" Professor Juniper said as she began to walk off. "Oh, before I forget, we all have each other registered on the Xtransceiver, right?"

"Yes, Professor!' Bianca said alertly.

"Great, happy catching!" she said as she ran off.

Hilda stepped forward after Juniper was out of sight. "Well, Pokémon are found in tall grass, so what are we waiting for! Let's go a little further, and then split up. What do you guys say?" Hilda delegated.

"Meh," Cheren agreed.

"That's a great idea!" Bianca approved. The trio walked a bit further, followed by their Pokémon, and then turned to each other, nodded, and walked off onto separate paths.

"Ok Gigi, I want whatever the prize Professor Juniper's giving away is, so we have to be the very first to catch something…" Hilda said to her straggling behind Tepig.

"Hey, girl, what's the matter?" Hilda got on all fours, and made eye level contact with Gigi, who was brought aback by this. "You've been detached the whole time, is it because you don't like me or something?" Hilda said sadly. Gigi's ears twitched. It stood up a bit more alert. "I know! Here's a nice blue bow! It's an apology for not knowing if you were a boy or a girl, this way, me, and everyone else, will know! I was going to accessorize with it, but whatever…" Hilda took out a nicely folded sky blue cotton ribbon bow.

"PIG!" Tepig quickly jumped and faced into the tall grass.

"Hey, Gigi, what's the matter? Don't you want the bow?" Hilda asked.

"TEP PIIIIIIIIIG!" Tepig exhaled, and covered itself in flames, then charged into the grass.

"Woah, a Flame Charge!" Hilda stood in amazement, mostly because her Gigi was doing _something_, which shocked her greatly.

"PURRR!" A Purrloin emerged from the grass.

"Oh, a Purrloin! Good going, Gigi! First thing's first!"

_'Purrloin, the Devious Pokémon. Its cute act is a ruse. When victims let down their guard, they find their items taken. It attacks with sharp claws.'_

"That sounds awful, but now that that's taken care of, here's your- AAAAAHHHH!" Hilda shouted really loudly.

…...

"Hey, Oshawott, what kind of Pokémon was that?" Bianca asked her partner, who was comfortably wrapped in Bianca's arms, hearing the screech.

"Osha?" It shrugged. "Osha! Osha! WOTT!" Oshawott pointed to a Patrat that was eating an Oran Berry.

"Oh, dear Oshawott, you've found one! Now, just like Professor Juniper said, step one, battle! Now, Oshawott, use Water Gun!"

"WOTT!" Oshawott released a sharp concentrated shot of water. While it was approaching the Patrat it swiftly dodged.

"Oh yeah, I have to scan it in the Pokédex! Battle while I do that, right sweetie?" Bianca commanded nonchalantly.

"Osha!?" Oshawott looked at Bianca like she was crazy.

_'Patrat, the Scout Pokémon. Extremely cautious, they take shifts to maintain a constant watch of their nest. They feel insecure without a lookout._'

"Aww, so cute. I'll be your lookout if you let me catch you- AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Bianca screamed as she saw her fainted Oshawott. "HHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLPP!"

…

"Those shouts, sounds like Hilda and Bianca are having some _fun_ on their little quest. But we, the smart ones, are definitely going to catch ourselves a Pokémon first." Cheren said arrogantly.

"Sni…" Snivy smugly smiled as he copied his trainer's arrogance and mimicked Cheren's walk. Suddenly, a nearby bush shook, and a Pidove flew out.

"Hmm…" Cheren swiftly brought out his Pokédex.

_'Pidove, the Tiny Pigeon Pokémon. These Pokémon live in cities. They are accustomed to people. Flocks often gather in parks and plazas.'_

"Then what are you doing in the wild, here? Doesn't matter, your fate is sealed! There may be a type matchup, but it's nothing Snivy can't handle. I'm sorry Pidove, but your days of freedom are over! Snivy, fire the Vine Whip!" Cheren commanded.

"SNI!" Snivy swiftly ran up to the Unaware Pidove, as two vines emerged from the sides of its shoulders, wrapped it and threw it hard onto the floor.

"DOVE! DOVE!" The Pidove was angered, and quickly flapped its wings, causing a strong Gust.

Cheren braced himself against the attack. "Now, Snivy, stay strong! Wait for an opening!"

"Sni…" Snivy began to edge, but then the Gust lightened.

"DOVE!" Then Pidove quickly charged at Snivy, at lightning speed.

"A Quick Attack, you're stronger than the local Pidove, you have to be mine! Now, Snivy, let's try a new combination! Growth, then Wrap!"

"SNI!" In an instant, Snivy outstretched its body, and it became really stretchy and elastic.

"DOVE?!" The Pidove, not expecting this, slowed its pace, but still charged into the rubber-like body.

"Sni…" Snivy then coiled itself sinisterly around the helpless bird, and tightened its grip.

"Now, Vine Whip for some extra damage!"

"VY! VY!" Snivy whipped the Pidove while tightening its bind.'

"DOVE!" It cried out for mercy.

"Now, stop! And Go Poké Ball!" Snivy loosened its grip, swiftly retracted its Vines, and slithered back into its normal shape. Cheren took aim, and threw the Ball, which inevitably captured the wounded Pidove! "YES! I DID IT! I have to call the Professor!" Cheren dialed Professor Juniper. "Professor, I did it! I caught a Pidove!"

"Wow, well, I'm pleased, but I can't honestly say that I'm shocked." Professor Juniper said in a pleased way. "Round up the others, and hurry to Accumula Town!" Professor Juniper disappeared from the screen.

Cheren then called Bianca. "B, where are you, I caught a Pokémon!"

"CHEREN! COME GET ME! MY BABY'S DOWN!" Bianca shouted. She then disappeared from the screen.

"Trying to find her out here by myself is pointless, go Pidove! "

"Dove…" Pidove looked like it was about to fall over.

"Here, take this." Cheren said caringly as he fed it an Oran Berry. "You're one of us now, that means that you are an elite Pokémon, and you'll get treated like one! Your first mission is to help us look for a girl and a fainted Oshawott. You think you can help us with that?" Cheren said nicely.

"DOVE!" It took to the skies and began the search.

"We'll search from below, let's go Snivy." Cheren said, as they all ran off.

* * *

It was beginning to get late. "Hey, Darrien! Look, buddy!" Ash gestured to Darrien. He coolly walked over. "All those bright lights, that's Castelia City, right? Unova?!" Ash was excited.

Darrien smiled at Ash's enthusiasm. "You bet, it's one of the best places in Unova, attracts a lot of tourists and visitors. That and another city named Nimbasa."

"Nimbasa?" Ash asked.

"Well, if you want to win the Unova League, you'll need badges. Both Castelia City and Nimbasa City are great cities that have a lot to do in them, and they both have gyms. So, naturally you'll be traveling there." Darrien explained.

"Wow! A gym as soon as we get off the boat! Excited, Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"PIKA!" Pikachu looked off at the flashing lights in the distance with wonder.

"MOLA!" Suddenly two Alomomola jumped simultaneously out of the now indigo colored ocean and crossed each other and landed back in the water.

"Unova…I just can't wait!" Ash could've exploded from all his excitement.

* * *

"What? Why didn't you call me?!" Cheren shouted at Bianca, who was now with him and her Oshawott recovered in her arms.

"Well, I didn't want to disturb you, and I told her not to call you either for the same reason, sorry…" Bianca said sheepishly.

"Well, it's getting late, so we shouldn't argue. Let's just hope that Purrloin didn't get far!" Cheren and Bianca ran out into a clear path, when Gigi ran past right in front of their eyes!

"GIGI! WAIT! COME BACK! Oh, hey guys…" Hilda said brightly, as she stopped, allowing her Tepig to keep going.

"What's going on? What exactly are you doing?" Cheren asked.

"Well, Gigi started running out of nowhere, and I've been chasing her ever since. Oh, and not to mention some stupid Purrloin stole my bow and bag right from under my eyes!" Hilda complained.

"WHAT! How can something steal, not even your bow, but a _BAG_ without you even knowing!" Cheren couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I don't know, according to the Pokédex, I let my guard down or something like that…"

"PIG!" In the far distance, they spotted a red flare.

"GIGI!" Hilda and the others chased after her Pokémon. They arrived at a clearing where they saw Gigi moving around so fast that they could barely even spot her, and she was battling a Purrloin wearing a blue bow.

"That's the spirit! Just don't hurt the bow, Gigi!" Hilda encouraged.

"She's moving so fast! I didn't think a Tepig could reach that speed!" Bianca said daintily.

"No B, it's just that Flame Charge increases a Pokémon's speed." Cheren explained. "Hey, Hilda, why don't you actually, you know, _take over_…?" Cheren said in an unimpressed voice.

"Oh! I was just waiting for the right time before butting in!" Hilda retorted. "Now, Gigi, Defense Curl!"

"TEP!" She curled swiftly into a ball, as the Purrloin continued to deftly scratch, though it seemed to barely do anything.

"Now, Tail Whip, with precision, and get that ribbon back!" Hilda commanded. Tepig moved its tail in a back and forth fashion, catching the Purrloin's attention.

"Purr!" It happily chased after the tail, trying to catch it.

"NOW, TACKLE!" Gigi quickly uncurled, and tackled into the Purrloin so fast, and so hard, that the ribbon was undone, and floated gently to the floor.

"PURR! PURR!" The Purrloin quickly ran off, and got away safely.

"Wow; that was intense…" Bianca said after it ended.

Hilda slowly walked and picked up the bow, and tied it on Gigi's head. "Oh my god, you look fabulous!" Hilda smiled.

Gigi looked up at her bow. "PIG!" It cried out in happiness from receiving an accessory from its trainer, and truly felt accepted. It jumped into Hilda's arms and wagged its tail happily and agilely.

"Oh, girl," Hilda began to laugh as Tepig began to lick Hilda's face.

Bianca and Cheren smiled at this. "Well I'm happy for her," Bianca began to say to Cheren, "I was worried that Gigi and Hilda wouldn't have a fun adventure! But now that worry is gone!"

After Hilda and Gigi pulled themselves together, it was more or less night. "Hey, why don't we call it a night and camp out here?" Cheren recommended. "We can use your Gigi's flame for light." He suggested further.

"Wow, our first day camping out, it's going to be interesting, that's for sure!" Bianca said happily.

* * *

A little jingle resounded all about the boat. Darrien and Ash were in his room, and were on the balcony observing the outside. "PIKA!" Pikachu pointed to the bright lights of the approaching Castelia City.

"Yep, we're almost there, buddy!" Ash was so full of hope.

"So, Ash, what exactly are your plans for Unova once you get off the boat?" Darrien asked.

"Well, I'm going to head off and challenge the Castelia City Gym!"

Darrien made a weird expression. "With just Pikachu?" he exclaimed.

"Trust me, my Pikachu is really strong! We can do anything we set our minds to do!" Ash said encouragingly to his partner.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed happily.

Darrien smiled and thought to himself for a bit. "Your enthusiasm is just what I need." He said.

"Huh?" Ash didn't understand what Darrien was getting at.

"You seem to be so full of hope, so full of drive. I wish I was like that. Ash, what do you say to us hanging out some more? You know, me being your traveling partner through Unova?" Darrien asked carefully.

"Wow, and here I thought I was being a burden to you!" Ash joked.

"You don't have to say yes." Darrien said sharply.

Ash thought deeply. "Well, you _are_ an adult, and can make your own decisions, even though I feel bad about taking a runaway. But, you're the only friend I've made on this boat, and to be honest, you know the area, so it'd be smart to travel with ya! So, it's a deal! We'll motivate and help each other! Me, to be a Pokémon Master, and you to be a Pokémon Connoisseur! Let's do it!" Ash said happily.

With a new traveling partner in Darrien, Ash is sure to have quite an adventure in the quickly approaching Unova Region! Also, what is Cheren's prize awaiting in Accumula? Answers, and more, as the journey continues!

And that's episode two! What do you think? Reviews and constructive criticism? Thanks for taking the time to read this!

And Here is what Darrien looks like, if you're wondering, visit here: .

And please let me know if the link is dead [btw created Darrien myself :3 ], that's all for now!


	3. Enter the Plasma!

**Pokémon: **_Best __Wishes_

Episode 3: **Enter the Plasma!**

_Last time, Ash got to know the mysterious Darrien better, and has even decided to travel with him through his adventures in Unova! Meanwhile, Cheren, Bianca, and Hilda have all begun their journeys, and Cheren has even captured a Pidove! What adventures are in store today for our heroes?_

* * *

"AHH," Cheren stretched, and looked around his tent. "Hm, everything seems to be in one piece!" Cheren said happily. He crept outside his tent, and began to admire the scenery. The sun was shining brilliantly, and a soothing but spine-chilling breeze whisked through the morning air, causing Cheren to wince. His attention soon diverted to the females' tent. "Hey guys, good morning!" Cheren called out.

"Hey, Cheren!" Hilda called out while exiting the tent, already dressed and ready to go.

"Woah! You were up early!" Cheren was surprised. He sheepishly looked at himself still in pajamas.

"Yeah, me and Bianca wanted to get a move on to Accumula Town and meet Professor Juniper. Oh, by the way, there's a river over there to bathe. P.S. it's freezing!" Hilda joked.

"Ugh…" Cheren sighed and walked in the direction of the river.

* * *

BEEP! A loud ring resounded throughout the great big ship. "Attention passengers, the ship is now safe to disembark. Thank you for riding with us, hope to see you soon!" an attendant's voice said calmly.

"Wow, Darrien, you ready? We're here!" Ash excitedly said as he ran out to his balcony.  
"Huh?" Ash was surprised. From his room, he looked down at the city, and the bright lights of yesterday were gone, and replaced with skyscrapers and people walking around briskly.

"Surprised?" Darrien asked while walking to the balcony.

"There are so many people…" Ash said.

"I wasn't kidding when I said this is the _BIG _city, now let's go!" Darrien tugged Ash.

* * *

"WOOHOO! Let's go guys!" Bianca shouted out to the top of her lungs. The group had packed up their tents and such, and was ready to continue traveling to Accumula Town.

"Ugh B, don't be so lawless…" Cheren hissed.

"Chill out, Cheren, she's just excited!" Hilda shot back, defending Bianca. The three of them continued to walk, with their respective starter Pokémon in tow, and Oshawott in arms.

"Osha!" Oshawott pointed forward at a sign.

"Hey, what's up, darling?" Bianca sighed.

"Hey look there!" Hilda shouted. "20 minutes to Accumula Town! We're almost there! Let's step on it!" Hilda was excited. The three began running.

* * *

"So, this is Unova…" Ash stood in the middle of a very busy road, surveying the area, absorbing the city life.

"ASH, come on! There are some serious highlights to this city! Let's check 'em out!" Darrien suggested, positioned safely on the sidewalk.

"Wait! Isn't there a gym here?" Ash brought up while running to Darrien.

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted excitedly.

"Wait, you were serious about challenging Burgh with only Pikachu?" Darrien found it difficult to process this.

"Burgh's his name? Well, take me to this Burgh! Pikachu and I are super serious! Aren't we, Pikachu?" Ash said happily.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu beamed with energy.

"But…the gym isn't going anywhere….and don't you want to check out some places first? Some stores have sales that won't last forever, oh and today's the only day of the week where we can get Casteliacones!" Darrien tried to persuade Ash.

Ash frowned. "But it won't take long! I'll sweep through Burgh, and then we can go sightseeing, promise." Ash said genuinely.

"Hm, you're awfully confident…Fine, I'll take you to the gym. Follow me, and don't get lost…" Darrien said seriously, as he started to lead Ash to the gym.

"Wow…" As Darrien led him to the gym, Ash looked off into the coastline as he observed the many ports and ships that were docked there that day. He looked up at the skyscrapers that reached for the heavens, and at all the people that seemed almost programmed to not bump into another.

"And here we are!" Darrien came to a full stop in front of a huge building, decorated with a Poké Ball design on top. "You know it's a gym when it has that design on it." Darrien informed.

"Cool, now let's go, huh," Ash rashly charged at the door, when it abruptly opened and a man in colorful pants and a green shirt appeared. He also sported a scarf. His brown hair frizzled in the air.

"Oh, hello, what can I do for you?" he asked.

"Hi, I'm Ash. I'm looking for a gym battle with Burgh!" he said confidently.

"I'm sorry, Ash, but there is some business that I must attend to first before accepting any challenges." Burgh said in a rushed tone.

"Wait! That means you must be Burgh! Well, what is it? What do you have to do?" Ash pestered.

"Ash! You don't just go and pry into people's business like that!" Darrien reprimanded.

Burgh giggled. "It's fine, actually if you don't mind, would you help me?" Burgh asked the two boys.

"Sure, cos that means that whatever you're doing will get done faster, and then we can get to my gym battle!" Ash was excited.

"What can we do for you, Burgh?" Darrien asked.

"Well, there's a mysterious organization that has emerged recently. They call themselves Team Plasma, and they believe in Pokémon Liberation." Burgh started.

"Oh, I heard about that! My mom was talking about them back in Kanto!" Darrien cut Burgh off.

"Wait, liberation? Like freeing Pokémon?" Ash confirmed.

"Precisely, and well, they theorize that humans and Pokémon aren't meant to exist together," Burgh started.

"And so they take them away from you by force." Darrien completed Burgh's sentence.

"Wait, what?! That's awful. Well, they're definitely not getting Pikachu! First Team Rocket, and now these guys!" Ash said annoyed.

"Pika!" Pikachu was riled up.

"You see, gentlemen, I was just notified that there are some Team Plasma grunts who just stole a little girl's Purrloin and escaped into Pinwheel Forest. As gym leader, it is also my responsibility to look after the people of the city, so I would be grateful if you two could tag along and help in case things got crazy." Burgh admitted.

Darrien and Ash nodded and followed Burgh into his truck, which then drove off onto the Skyarrow Bridge.

* * *

"Here we are!" Bianca shouted. Bianca, Cheren, and Hilda stood at the gates of Accumula Town. They ran in and headed for the Pokémon Center.

"There it is!" Hilda pointed out. As they ran they overheard a band playing the piano and drums to a catchy melody. They walked into the center.

"Professor Juniper, here we are!" Cheren said excitedly, awaiting his present for being the first one to catch a Pokémon.

"You guys finally made it! Oh, and Cheren, here's your prize!" Professor Juniper handed him a badge case.

"Wow, a badge case? Not what I was expecting…" Cheren said almost disappointed.

"Sni…" his Snivy looked down in disappointment.

"Cheren, I realize your potential as a trainer, and I feel that you would naturally lean towards the quest of winning the Unova League while completing the Pokédex for me, so I thought that a new badge case would be perfect for you!" Juniper admitted.

"Wow, I'm happy for you!" Hilda said.

"Pig!" Gigi chimed in.

Bianca looked on in amazement. "Professor, I know I didn't catch a Pokémon, but may I please have a badge case too?" she asked hopefully.

"Osha?" Oshawott pleaded too.

"Sorry, but I only have one with me!" she said sadly.

Cheren began to smirk. "Not that you'd be able to win any badges anyway," he remarked sourly.

Bianca looked up at him then at the floor. Hilda's eyes made direct contact with Cheren, and he could tell that she was furious. Juniper, noticing the tension began to speak. "So, why don't we take a stroll outside through the town? Then, I'll tell you guys about some more basics to Pokémon Training." Juniper escorted them to the middle plaza.

"Hey, what's going on there?" Cheren asked.

"You're so smart…why don't you make an _educated_ guess?" Bianca whispered to herself.

The group's attention was diverted to a gathering of people in a crowd. Interested, the four of them walked over. "Excuse me, what exactly is going on?" Juniper asked one of the people.

"Oh, professor, listen to their words, and liberate them…" The man then took out a Poké Ball and released his Patrat.

"Trat?" It looked up at him with sad eyes.

"Go on! Get out of here! You're better off in the wild!" The man angrily shouted as he ran off.

Juniper, Hilda, Cheren, and Bianca watched on in horror. "Wha- I mean, liberation? What could that man possibly be rambling about?" Cheren was dumbfounded.

"Look there, Cheren, those weird guys are giving a speech…." Hilda said warily pointing to a group of people wearing armor, as if from medieval times. They surrounded a man with gray-green hair, sporting a double-cape-esque shawl decorated with eyes and blue protrusions at the top. The group started to pay attention to the speech being delivered.

"Once again, my name is Ghetsis; and I urge you all to consider liberating your Pokémon. It is the best and right thing to do." Ghetsis said in a lifeless voice. "That is all…" he said. He raised his hand and began to leave. The armored people lifted up signs that were half black and half white, which had a blue P with a backwards Z scribbled through it, and surrounded Ghetsis, as if they were his bodyguards. The four of them watched on until they couldn't see them anymore. By that time, most of the crowd disappeared.

"What weird people…" Cheren tried to brush them off.

"That's a way you can put it," Juniper said lightly. "But, seriously, if someone feels that Pokémon need to be liberated, we need reasons, they can't just say it's for the best." Juniper said sternly.

"If you were here from the beginning, you would've heard Team Plasma's speech. Then, your views might be changed, _professor_." A male with tea green colored hair was eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Ah! Excuse me!" Juniper was taken aback. "I'm sorry, who are _you_?" Juniper shot back.

"Me, my name's N. I seek an ideal world for both humans and Pokémon." He said completely monotonously. His eyes and speech were just as lifeless as Ghetsis.

"Wow, an ideal world! What's that like?" Bianca inquired.

"A world where humans and Pokémon live separately…Humans do nothing but contain Pokémon in Poké Balls and use them for their own amusement in the disgrace called Pokémon Battles. But really, do you honestly think that Pokémon enjoy being commanded, pit to fight against their own brethren? Abused against their will?" N was beginning to sound condescending.

Hilda and Bianca looked at the floor. Cheren scoffed. "Please, come on, if Pokémon truly didn't enjoy battling then they wouldn't do it in the first place. Right, Snivy?" Cheren looked down at his starter.

"Sni," It shook its head in a ready response.

"Your Snivy…it lies…" N said in a dreading voice.

"Excuse me!" Cheren got riled up, and got in N's face.

Juniper held him back. "I think we're done here." Juniper said as politely as she could at the moment. She gestured for the three to come together, and they began to walk away.

"And you're the worst, professor." N started.

Juniper turned around slowly. "What was that?"

"Trying to categorize Pokémon how you feel fit. You don't see them trying to capture us, and categorize us! Oh, look, a human! It's called a Juniper! It doesn't evolve, and it isn't able to perform many skills, it's useless for getting the job done…." N mocked.

"EXCUSE ME?!" Juniper wasn't sure what she was more upset about: the fact that she was made fun of for her work, or basically called useless.

"Professor, he's not worth it." Hilda responded.

"Pig…" Gigi chimed in as well.

"Hm…Tepig, your voice seems different than Snivy's…" N said slowly.

"Are you crazy? You're nuts!" Cheren wanted to leave on that note.

"Your Snivy lies, boy. It doesn't care for battle. It just wants to please you. And you repay it by making it endure harsh painful _battles_." N spat the last word out. "But, Tepig, when it spoke, it seemed, well, _genuine_." N smiled.

"What do you mean?" Hilda questioned. "How can you tell these things?"

"I can hear the inner voices of Pokémon. I hate to battle, but sometimes I have to. I must save your Pokémon from you three, before it's too late, before you hurt them, like humans always do…" N whispered.

"This guy's something else…" Juniper groaned.

"Friend, please help me!" N shouted out as a Purrloin jumped and landed in his arms. It turned around to face Hilda and started hissing at her and Gigi.

"Hey, is that the Purrloin from yesterday?" Hilda couldn't believe it.

"Purrloin has suffered because of you. I can hear its anger, the anger you caused. I must show you equal suffering, and rescue your Pokémon. That is my goal. That will make an ideal world." N said proudly.

"I'm sorry, but that's so…wrong." Juniper interjected. "By battling, you go _against_ every one of your principles…" Juniper said trying to wrap her head around all this madness.

"SHUTUP woman, your brain is consumed by all the lies that you have been fed! You disgust me!" N shouted back loudly. "Purrloin, save them!" N commanded as the Purrloin agilely ran up to Gigi, and scratched her square in the face, with enough force and vigor to lift her off the ground!

"PIG!" Gigi went flying!

"HEY! Gigi, are you all right?" Hilda was upset now. "Now you're gonna get it, Gigi, use-"

"WAIT!" Bianca shouted.

"What's up, B?" Cheren asked.

"N, or Mr. N, or whatever, my name is Bianca." She started.

N's eyes peered into her soul as he made eye contact, and that caused Bianca to shiver.

"This here is Oshawott; I just got this cutie recently." Bianca said somewhat cheerfully, even though she was quite obviously distressed. She looked down at her Oshawott, who was tightly kept in her arms, looking straight at N. "Well, I'm far from being, well, _capable_**.**" Bianca admitted.

"B…" Hilda said quietly after getting her Gigi. Cheren looked down at the floor. Juniper watched on trying to decipher the situation.

"Basically, well, um…I know you hate to battle, but I challenge you and Purrloin. This will test me, you see. If I lose, well, there's no point in me going on as a trainer, and I will do nothing but bring pain to my Oshawott. And I don't want that. So, if I lose, I will stop being a trainer, turn over my Oshawott to you, and return home." Bianca said seriously.

"And if you win?!" Hilda said hurriedly in despair.

"She left that part out on purpose. She's giving up on us, Hilda." Cheren said sternly. Juniper watched on with raised eyebrows. Could she be serious?

"B! You battle him, and you win! Not just for you, but for me too! I believe in you!" Hilda said cheerfully, even though she was heartbroken. The strain in her voice was very noticeable.

N smiled. "Purrloin, rescue her Pokémon."

"PURR" It lunged at Oshawott, who quickly sprayed water in its face. Oshawott jumped down from Bianca's arms and got ready for battle.

Juniper observed in concern. "Come on Bianca, I didn't give you a Pokémon just to throw it away. Win this for me, too. And for every trainer out there. Win this for all of us." She whispered to herself.

* * *

Ash, Darrien, and Burgh entered Pinwheel Forest. "They're in here?! I'll teach them to steal Pokémon!" Ash was mad.

"Calm down, Ash, getting all mad like this won't solve anything!" Darrien smartly said.

They all exited Burgh's truck and started to scout the area. After some time, Darrien spotted something. "Hey, guys, over here!" Darrien called Ash and Burgh over to what seemed like a hidden base. Smack in the middle was a Pokémon-filled net.

"Woah, look at all those Pokémon!" Ash said in wonder for never seeing them before. He quickly became composed, remembering the task at hand. There were multiple Purrloin, Cottonee, Petilil, Pidove, Patrat, and Sewaddle contained in the net.

"Luckily the case of this single Purrloin has led us to a jackpot of stolen Pokémon." Burgh said somewhat cheerfully. He then nodded his head in shame of what Team Plasma did. "Ok guys, let's free these Pokémon. You know, for a bunch of thugs, it's quite dumb for them to leave their inventory wide in the open…" Burgh noted. The three of them walked towards the net to set the Pokémon free when suddenly a Purrloin jumped in front of them, and slapped its paws together, causing reverberations through the air!

"AAH!" Ash held his ears in pain.

"Ugh, that's Fake Out! This Purrloin must be a guard for Team Plasma! We gotta knock it out!" Darrien suggested.

"Sorry Purrloin, but if you work for evil forces, you got to be taken down! Leavanny, Struggle Bug!" Burgh said while throwing a Poké Ball. The Leavanny came out and took form.

"So, that's a Leavanny, looks like a grass type, kinda like a bug type too. What's Struggle Bug, though?" Ash whispered to Pikachu.

"Pika…" Pikachu was lost just as well.

The Leavanny glowed green, and crouched together, being very hesitant to open itself up.

"What's it doin'? Is it in pain?" Ash asked.

"Just watch," Darrien started, "Struggle Bug is different than most moves. The user resists, but still attacks." He explained.

"Purr!" Purrloin lunged at Leavanny, going for the Fury Swipes, but suddenly Leavanny opened itself up, and green energy engulfed Purrloin, causing it to instantly faint.

"Vanny!" Leavanny stood up proud.

"Thanks for everything, Leavanny, return." Burgh returned his Leavanny. During this, Ash and Darrien took the net off.

"So now that that's taken care of, how about our battle?" Ash questioned.

"Sorry Ash, but these aren't wild Pokémon, I have to return them all to their trainers, and hunt down these Plasma Grunts so that they cannot cause any more trouble. You understand?" Burgh said sympathetically.

Ash looked down in disappointment. "I hear ya," he said sadly.

"Pika…" Pikachu was sad too.

"Hey, I tell you what, there's a gym in the city at the other side of this forest. By time it takes you to get there, get a badge, and come back, I should be all finished! What do you say? Maybe I'll even finish another painting before then!" Burgh joked.

"Thanks for the info, Burgh. Yeah, Pikachu! We'll get our gym battle after all!" Ash was happy.

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted.

"So, I don't get to see the sights, eh, no problem I guess…." Darrien said sadly.

"See ya, Burgh!"

"Bye, Burgh, take care!"

"Pika!" They all said goodbye to Burgh as they waved off and walked deeper into the Pinwheel Forest, towards Nacrene City.

* * *

"Come on Oshawott! Keep up the Water Gun!" Bianca was growing desperate. She knew this was a losing battle, and began to slowly tear up.

"You can do it Bianca!" Hilda shouted from the sidelines. Cheren crossed his arms and sighed.

"WOTT! WOTT! WOTT!" Oshawott kept firing shots of water at the constantly dodging Purrloin.

"Friend, I think that if you want to rescue the Oshawott, you'll have to attack. I know how much it pains you to do this, thank you for doing this for me." N said almost manipulatively.

"Creep…" Juniper said to herself.

"PURR!" The Purrloin jumped high in the air, then came crashing down with sharpened claws at Oshawott.

"Oh dear Oshawott, counter with Water Gun!" Bianca replied.

"WOTT!" Oshawott fired another Water Gun, and it collided with the claws of Purrloin, fluctuating up and down trying to resist the power of the Purrloin's Scratch.

"All B is doing is Water Gun! She's gonna lose for sure! She should know that sooner or later, when a Pokémon does the same move too many times, it'll run out of steam…" Cheren kept on criticizing her.

"Come on Cheren! Can't you see that she's trying her best! You've driven her to even think that a better option would be to give up and stop being a trainer! Enough is enough!" Hilda lectured Cheren.

"You're calmer than usual…" Cheren was confused.

"Well, it's because seeing my best friend like this is breaking my heart…" Hilda said strikingly as she painfully continued to watch the battle.

"WOTT!" Oshawott kept on trying, battling for its fate, and blew more water.

"PURR! PURR! PURR!" Purrloin started to take matters into its own hands, and began to slash at the water repeatedly, increasingly decreasing the space between it and Oshawott's face.

"Dear Oshawott, it's coming in fast! You have to get out the way!" Bianca cried out.

"Wott…" Oshawott ceased fire, and tried to jump out the way, but was extremely fatigued.

"LOIN!" Purrloin successfully landed a hit.

"WOTT!" Oshawott went flying and hit into a nearby house wall.

"OSHAWOTT!" Bianca shouted out.

"Hypocrite! You say we cause Pokémon pain, but look at the pain you're causing by _forcing_ people to liberate their Pokémon! If you truly want an ideal world, then you won't go about battling trainers for their Pokémon like they're prize cards!" Juniper said more to stall for time and Oshawott to get up, but also to get her point across.

"Yeah, you're just quite stupid if you think that's the way you should do things!" Hilda chimed in.

"PIG!" Gigi squealed in behind.

N was taken aback. "Oh, Tepig, you seem to, truly oppose me…" He took a deep breath and looked up to the sky. He walked over to Bianca. "Fine, Bianca, is it?" Bianca who was now on her knees crying over her fainted Oshawott.

Bianca, tears running down her face, held up her fainted Oshawott. "Take it…" she said looking down at the floor.

"I might have to rethink my approach…keep your Oshawott…for now…, oh and Tepig," he said turning to Gigi, "your trainer will hurt you, and cause you much suffering. The sooner you realize this, the better." N said spitefully, as if Hilda wasn't there.

"Jerk!" Hilda shouted out.

"Now friend, your battling abilities are to be marveled, but unfortunately Pokémon aren't meant to fight. They are meant to live peacefully in nature with others. Now, go, far away in the tall grass, and keep hidden from humans…" N said while petting the Purrloin.

"Purr…." Purrloin purred, while its tail wandered, trying to steal N's cube. N quickly noticed and laughed to himself.

"See, this is beauty. It is in this Pokémon's nature to try to steal, but a trained Purrloin will try its best against its urge to not steal. Untroubled nature, it's quite beautiful…" N said while beaming at the four. He let out a crazy laugh and walked off.

"B, come here…" Hilda hugged Bianca, who was still in tears on her knees. Cheren looked down guiltily, and Juniper stared at N in the distance, with a bewildered look.

* * *

_Our heroes have made their first run-ins with the likes of Team Plasma. And who is this N, who looks for an ideal world? The answers to come, as the adventure continues!_

_I've _received some notification that Darrien's link wasn't working, so here's another try: s14.[domain, then dot org]/ 75f4lu4pt / Darrien . p n g

Copy and paste that and replace the bracket and delete spaces. put postimg as domain. Let me know if it works :)


	4. Two Teams, One Fray!

**Pokémon: **_Best __Wishes_

Episode 4: **Two Teams, One Fray****!**

_Our heroes are now travelling through the mysterious Pinwheel Forest, heading towards Nacrene City, and Ash's first gym battle in the Unova Region. Also, our friends over in Accumula Town are preparing to leave for Striaton City, for their first gym battles as well._

* * *

"Come on, Darrien! You're slowing us down!" Ash shouted as he dashed excitedly through the forest.

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted in excitement.

"I'm coming! Slow down, Ash! The gym isn't going anywhere!" Darrien was trying to keep up with Ash, running after him while dodging tree roots, and jumping over rocks in the process.

Ash slowed down and allowed Darrien to catch up with him. "You ready to go now?" Ash asked.

"Ash, do you even know where you're going? Pinwheel Forest is a huge place! An expert on the area can even find themselves lost if they're not careful!" Darrien scolded.

"Yeah, yeah," Ash tried to brush it off.

"Pika!" Pikachu pointed off in the distance.

"What's up, Pikachu?" Ash questioned. Both he and Darien turned around and spotted a Cottonee. It was looking around feverishly, and then spotted Darrien and Ash. It hurriedly floated over to them.

"Nee! Nee! Cottonee!" It was speaking at a terribly fast rate.

"This is a Cottonee, right?" Ash questioned.

"Yes, but I wonder what it' trying to tell us…" Darrien was trying to think of possible scenarios.

"Nee! Nee!" Cottonee jumped into Darrien's afro!

"Woah! What's going on, buddy?!"Darrien was taken aback. The Cottonee then began to nudge Darrien in a certain direction.

"Hey, maybe it wants to lead us somewhere?" Ash suggested.

"Ok, Cottonee, lead the way then." Darrien was calmer now.

"Nee…"it began to nudge in the direction again.

"I think it likes it in there." Ash joked. "Let's just walk in the direction it's showing us." Darrien and Ash began to walk off deeper into the forest.

* * *

"Come on B! Stop dragging your feet! We want to make as much distance before night time!" Hilda called back to Bianca, who was straggling behind.

"Coming…" Bianca held her Oshawott in her arms, and was looking down while walking.

"Just leave her. She'll snap out of it eventually." Cheren shrugged off. He kept on walking with his Snivy eagerly following in his footsteps. "She might be nervous because there's a gym in Striaton City." Cheren theorized.

"But even so, I don't like her like this. Yesterday was a tough day for her…" Hilda recollected the events of the previous day.

"I know, and I'm at fault too. I shouldn't keep putting her down like that all the time. I don't know, it's like I'm compelled to be snarky sometimes…"Cheren said guiltily. He then stopped walking, surprising his Snivy, who bumped into his leg.

Hilda stopped walking too. Gigi was alert however, and didn't make the same mistake as Snivy. "Finally! You seem to get it! Now, I honestly think that you should go apologize." Hilda said firmly.

"Maybe…ok," Cheren said. He began to turn when suddenly a Blitzle jumped in front of them, and began to graze on the nearby grass, not paying them any mind. "Oh, I've got to get this!" Cheren took out his Pokédex.

'_Blitzle, the Electrified Pokémon. When thunderclouds cover the sky, it will appear. It can catch lightning with its mane and store the electricity.'_

"Wait a second, there are no thunderclouds in the sky, so why is it out roaming?" Hilda questioned.

"Look up…" Cheren said sadly. The clouds almost immediately ushered in new shades of grey and thunder quickly struck. Shortly after, rain began to fall. "Come on, Hilda! We got to find somewhere safe. Snivy, return!" Cheren called out while holding Hilda's hand and running off.

"All right, return Gigi! I'm coming, don't pull so hard!" Hilda called out. Soon enough they were gone in the distance.

"Guys? Guys? Hello?!" Bianca called out. It was now foggy out, and the rain was coming down hard. Bianca couldn't really see her footing.

"OSHA!" Oshawott called out. Suddenly a beacon of light got its attention, shining through the fog.

"Ok! Let's head to there!" With a leap of faith, Bianca quickly began to run towards the light shining through the fog. She wasn't able to quite see where she was going, but she was quick on her feet…until nothing was under her feet. Bianca's eyes quickly widened. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She quickly shouted while dropping to her fate.

"Did you hear that?! Holy crap, we forgot B!" Hilda screamed at Cheren. She face-palmed, not believing her own irresponsibility.

"…Let's just hope she'll be safe. There's nothing we can do now until this rain and fog lets up…" Cheren said solemnly. They were situated under some bent trees that made it so limited rain could pass through, keeping them dry for the most part.

"Please be safe, B. If you're not, I'll never forgive myself…how could I be so stupid, so selfish?!" Hilda was beating herself up about the situation.

* * *

"Come on, Darrien. It looks like it might rain soon!" Ash said while looking up at the sky. They had come to a clear outing in the forest.

"We'll be okay, as long as we're in the dense part of the forest. The rain will mostly be trapped in the upper layers of the tree branches, so only a little rain actually comes through. That's the type of environment the Pokémon that live here enjoy." Darrien informed.

"Nee…" Cottonee nudged Darrien in the direction of a region where there were a lot of trees. Ash and Pikachu quickly followed. They arrived at a scene of a group of fainted Cottonee.

"Nee…" The main Cottonee jumped out of Darrien's afro, and levitated before him. It made a really sad face.

"Woah! What happened here! All of these Cottonee!" Ash was surely surprised.

"What happened here, Cottonee? Why are all of your friends fainted?" Darrien asked while making eye contact with Cottonee.

"Nee…nee…" It began to explain.

"Pika!" Pikachu was shocked.

"Hey, Pikachu, you mind explaining what's up with Cottonee?" Ash asked.

"RUFFLET!" Quickly a Rufflet came from a shrub and charged at Pikachu! Pikachu, detecting its movements, instinctively released a jolt of electricity and struck the Rufflet, causing it to fall to the floor. Still standing, it shouted "RUFF!" It shot Cottonee a stare.

"NEE!" Cottonee cowered into Darrien's hair.

"Who's that Pokémon?" Ash was trying to process the situation.

"It's a Rufflet…but why is it in Pinwheel Forest? Rufflet are never seen here…" Darrien was thinking.

"RUFF!" It ran off into the distance.

"That sure was weird…" Ash was confused.

"Pika…" Pikachu agreed.

"Cottonee, it is ok now. Rufflet's gone. You can come out." Darrien said reassuringly.

"Nee…" Cottonee whimpered out.

"I think I might actually have an idea as to what's happening here." Darrien said affirmatively.

"Please, let me know." Ash said.

"Well, there's a group of fainted Cottonee, this Cottonee's friends. Most wild Pokémon can be ruthless when in a threatening situation. Rufflet don't live in this area, so that Rufflet must feel unsafe for being in such a strange environment…" Darrien continued to ponder to himself. "So, Cottonee, am I right when I say that this Rufflet ambushed you and your friends? And that you are actually the leader of your group and managed to get away and get help?" Darrien asked.

"Wait…leader? Wait…how can you come to all these assumptions?" Ash was skeptical.

"Ash, as a connoisseur, well, a connoisseur in training, you have to be able to create a bond with any Pokémon so that you can communicate with and understand them; in addition to being able to test the bonds of other trainers and their Pokémon. I could be very wrong, but the way that Rufflet shot Cottonee a stare, and the fact that Cottonee didn't retort an equally menacing stare, which wild Pokémon do as a part of their nature, lets me know that this Cottonee is somewhat traumatized by this Rufflet." As he was explaining he was petting Cottonee. "And a logical assumption is that this Rufflet not being in its natural environment causes it to be restless and makes it battle anything, which explains why it up and attacked Pikachu. Also, in its restlessness, it probably attacked the Cottonee group. Is that right?" Darrien asked after fleshing out his thoughts.

"NEE! NEE!" Cottonee nodded excitedly, and jumped into Darrien's afro.

"But what makes you say this is the leader Cottonee?" Ash asked.

"Well, different Pokémon assume different roles for their leaders. Some leaders protect the rest of the group, while in other situations; the rest of the group protects the leader. This Cottonee managed to get away, which it wouldn't be able to do without having other Cottonee protecting it." Darrien stated.

"Nee…" Cottonee started to feel bad.

"But you did the right thing! Now we can help ya out!" Ash tried to make it feel better.

"Pika!" Pikachu added on.

"So, I know that somewhere in this forest is a rest stop. We can transport these Cottonee to that point, and then continue to Nacrene City. What do you say about that?" Darrien asked.

"But how are we going to do that?" Ash asked.

"We have sheets, and fabric we use to make tents. It just means that we have to use our ingenuity." Darrien was set on helping these Cottonee.

"Ok! I'm with you! Let's transport these Cottonee, then on to Nacrene City!" Ash cemented the plan. As he said that, rain water trickled from the trees above, and into his mouth, causing him to cough dramatically, causing Darrien, Pikachu, and Cottonee to laugh.

* * *

The fog began to clear, but the rain was still coming down hard. "Can you believe we only dropped 3 feet? I thought we were down a cliff!" Bianca said to her Oshawott, who was still mentally recovering from the fall. "Either way, that light was just this pretty little Blitzle…" Bianca noted as the Blitzle sparkled as it grazed. "Being in the rain is no fun…" Suddenly, Bianca began to hear whimpering and crying. "Dear Oshawott, is that you?" Bianca asked,

"Osha?" Oshawott had no idea what she was going on about.

"You didn't hear that? It sounds like something's in pain…" The whining sound continued, and the cry lingered. Bianca quickly got up. "I feel terrible hearing this. Oshawott, you're a Pokémon. Your hearing is better than mine. Where is that sound coming from?" Bianca asked.

Oshawott listened out then shrugged. The rainfall was overpowering the sound. The whimpering continued. "Ugh, I can't take it anymore! Wherever you are, paining creature, I'm coming to the rescue!" Bianca ran off blindly, Oshawott in hand, closer and closer to the sound.

* * *

Darrien and Ash were treading through Pinwheel Forest, holding a massive sheet, made of multiple tied fabrics. On top of the sheet were multiple Cottonee, most fainted, and some who were coming to.

"Nee!" The main Cottonee was consoling all of the waking Cottonee, who were shocked and unaware of what was currently happening. Pikachu was consoling them as well.

"So, you know where we're going, right?" Ash called out at the front.

From the back, Darrien called out, "No idea! But if we keep traveling, we'll come across a rest stop. There are many located around here because so many people get lost!"

"Ok, let's just hope that we find it before it gets too dark…" Ash said worriedly while looking up at the sky. The two continued to lift their surprisingly feather-weight load in search of a rest stop.

* * *

"AWW! HOW CUTE!" Bianca found the source of the whining, and it was a Lillipup that was in pain while drenched from the rain. She picked it up. "Ow!" Something pricked her.

"Osha!" Oshawott pointed to a splinter in Lillipup's paw.

"Oh! Thanks Dear Oshawott!" Bianca pulled out the splinter. "There! All better!" She said joyfully.

"PUP! PUP! PUP!" The Lillipup jumped onto her and began to lick her face happily and wouldn't stop.

"Osha…" Oshawott awkwardly stood there watching what was going on. Bianca couldn't stop laughing and was clearly enjoying the moment as well. "Osha…" Oshawott noticed as the Blitzle began to recede back to the spots from where they hid and looked at the sky. The grey clouds began to clear away. "Wott?" Was the rainfall over?

"Would you look at that? Dear Oshawott and Cutie Lillipup! We're finally safe from the rain! Everything's going to be all right!" Bianca cheered.

"B! B! Do you hear me?" Hilda's voice was in the far distance.

"HEY! HILDA?! CHEREN!? I'm over here!" Bianca happily shouted out. As she was doing this the Lillipup began to roll around and chase its tail. Oshawott observed this weird behavior.

"STAY THERE, B! We're coming!" Cheren responded.

"We'll be reunited soon, guys!" Bianca was happy.

"Pup?" Lillipup looked up expectantly at Bianca with its big eyes.

"Oh yeah, Lillipup, you'll meet Cheren and Hilda. They're my two best friends in the world, and I'm journeying with them!" She said happily.

"Pup!" It licked Bianca's face and began to play with her, repeating the scuffle that happened before. Oshawott began to play with some of the flowers nearby.

* * *

"Pika…" Pikachu suddenly became alert and looked off at a nearby shrub.

"Nee?" The leader Cottonee was curious as to what Pikachu noticed.

"What's wrong guys?" Darrien asked, being the only one who could notice as he was rearing the back.

"Pikapi…" Pikachu knew something was wrong.

"RUFF!" Rufflet quickly charged at Pikachu! This charge was a lot faster than the previous one, and Pikachu couldn't detect it this time and Rufflet slashed right past him, causing him to fall off the sheet, getting the attention of everyone this time! Ash and Darrien put down the sheet.

"Nee!" The leader Cottonee had to keep the other Cottonee calm, hiding its own fear at the moment.

"Hey! Rufflet, I know that this isn't your environment, but what was that Aerial Ace for?!" Ash scolded.

"RUFF! LET!" The Rufflet sliced the air, causing barely visible ripples, and shot them towards Ash!

"CHU!" Pikachu intercepted with Thunderbolt!

"Well if it's a fight you want it's a fight you'll get! Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Ash commanded.

"Pika!" Pikachu charged at Rufflet, leaving a white stream behind it.

"RUFF!" Rufflet quickly took to the skies.

"Some speed…" Darrien noted.

"RRRRUUUUUFFF!" Rufflet came charging down at Pikachu, with its talons elongated and glowing.

"Look out, Ash! That's Crush Claw!" Darrien shouted from the sidelines.

"Pikachu, quick, Iron Tail to counter!"

"Pika!" Pikachu's tail became engulfed in what seemed like metal filling, and it clashed with Rufflet's claws, sending both Pokémon back.

"Ruff…" Rufflet began to spark yellow.

"Pika…" Pikachu smiled.

"Great job! Your Static is as good as ever, Pikachu!" Ash shouted out.

"Ruff…" Rufflet was having trouble moving.

"This Rufflet's strong. It's a great battling partner. Hey, what about catching it?" Ash suggested.

"Pika?" Pikachu was surprised.

"RUFF!" When Rufflet heard that, it came charging at Pikachu at full speed with Aerial Ace, fighting the paralysis.

"Ok! Pikachu, charge with Volt Tackle!" Ash commanded.

"Pikapikapikapikapikapikapikapikapikapikapikaaa!" Pikachu became outlined in yellow and black and contacted head-first with the Rufflet, creating a massive explosion.

"NEE!" the Cottonee began to huddle in fear.

"I got ya…" Darrien and the leader Cottonee huddled over them, making sure they were calm and safe.

When the smoke cleared, Pikachu was breathing heavily and sparking. The Rufflet was nowhere in sight. "Darn it! It got away! That would've been a great addition to our team! It's not every day that we meet a wild Pokémon that can keep Pikachu on his toes…" Ash said disappointedly.

"It's all right, Ash. We have a responsibility right now, to these Cottonee. We have to get them to a rest stop, so an actual medic can take care of them." Darrien reminded Ash.

"Oh, yeah, they could take a look at Pikachu too!" Ash added in. He and Darrien made sure everyone was safe on the sheet, and they continued their trek through Pinwheel Forest.

* * *

_'Lillipup, the Puppy Pokémon. The long hair around its face provides an amazing radar that lets it sense subtle changes in its surroundings.'_

"So, when did you find this little cutie?" Hilda asked, picking up the Lillipup and admiring it.

"Actually, I found it not too long before you and Cheren called out for me." Bianca admitted.

"B, you have to stop straggling behind like this! We were worried about you." Cheren admitted.

Bianca sighed. "I know, Cheren. It's just that, I was feeling down. But, this little trip, well, I'm rethinking things. Of course, it's going to be tough in the beginning; it wouldn't be a journey if it was easy from the start. So, I'm going to keep trying with Oshawott, and complete the Pokédex for the professor!" Bianca proclaimed.

"B, that's great! I'm so happy that you're thinking optimistically! But, I'm curious. What made you rethink things?" Hilda asked.

"Well, when I fell today, I thought that well…it was over. But, it wasn't. And I realized that life's too short to sit around feeling sorry for yourself and I should have as much fun as I possibly can!" Bianca said happily.

"B, I wanted to say that-"Cheren started when Bianca cut him off.

"There's no need." Bianca stood up. "Well, I've held us all up for long enough! Let's get going to Striaton City!" Bianca shouted.

The group began to walk away. "Pup! Pup!" Lillipup kept on following Bianca.

"Sorry, cutie, but I have to go now!" Bianca said in a baby voice. Lillipup frowned and let out a whimper. It then began to walk away.

"Bianca! You're letting something that cute get away? That's surprising." Hilda admitted.

"Well, what can I do? I can't just carry it around! Then there's no space for Oshawott." Bianca said blatantly.

"Why don't you catch it? You know, in a POKÉ BALL!" Cheren said heavily sarcastically. Hilda ignored him this time.

"Oh yeah! Hey, cutie Lillipup, do you want to come along with me? I'm pretty sure we'll have lots of fun and lots of adventures!" Bianca was smiling.

"Pup!" Lillipup jumped into Bianca's arms and licked her face. In doing this, Bianca unconsciously dropped Oshawott, who looked on as its trainer loved another Pokémon.

"Osha…" it looked down sadly.

* * *

Darrien and Ash came into a clearing. The rain had stopped a while before, so they weren't fearful of being drenched. "Pika!" Pikachu pointed off in the distance, grabbing the attention of everyone. There was a cabin house, with a giant P on the roof.

"That must be it! Over there is a rest house! See, Ash, I told you that we would make it!" Darrien said happily.

"Ok, let's get a move on!" he said. Ash and Darrien began to jog towards the cabin. While running, two invisible ripples struck the floor in front of Ash's feet. "What the-" He stopped in his tracks, causing a train wreck with Darrien not expecting this, and some Cottonee falling off the sheet. Ash and Darrien lowered the sheet.

"What's wrong, Ash?" Darrien asked.

"I swear that was just an Air Slash…that must mean Rufflet is back for more!" Ash said while looking up in the sky, looking for Rufflet.

"NEE!" The Rufflet was tormenting the Cottonee once again.

"This is crazy! This Rufflet isn't being reasonable anymore! A Pokémon will be threatened if it's in an environment unnatural to it, but usually it won't start fights when unneeded. This Rufflet is _rogue_! I don't know what we can do besides defeating it!" Darrien claimed.

"Ok, this is another chance at catching a strong Pokémon! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on the Rufflet to direct its attention away from the Cottonee!" Ash commanded.

"CHU!" Pikachu let loose a well-controlled bolt of electricity at Rufflet, as to not hit the Cottonee.

"RUFF! RUFF! LET!" The Rufflet shouted in pain. Then its beak glowed and it began to peck the Cottonee repeatedly!

"What are you attacking them for? They didn't do anything!" Ash shouted.

Darrien couldn't bear to watch helplessly, even though he had no Pokémon of his own. "Cottonee, protect your group! Fight!" Darrien shouted.

"Nee?" the leader asked. It was being protected by the rest of its group like it was previously.

"I know that you usually are protected, but now's the time to pay them back for their loyal service to you!" Darrien said encouragingly. He nodded. The Cottonee then nodded in response.

"NEE!" Cottonee focused, and then it became outlined in red and charged at Rufflet.

"RUFF?!" Rufflet was taken aback. Then, suddenly one by one, all the other Cottonee began to be outlined in red and charged at Rufflet! Even Pikachu became outlined in red and charged at Rufflet!

"What's this?!" Ash was surprised.

"It's Beat Up! A move rarely known by Cottonee! It makes all of its allies team up on one Pokémon! A great move when used by a leader!" Darrien was happy.

"RUFF!" After all of the hits the Rufflet began to fly away.

"No you don't, go Poké Ball!" Ash threw the Ball but then Rufflet kicked it back at his face and flew off. Pikachu, Darrien, and the Cottonee laughed.

…...

It wasn't long until they reached the rest house. "Thank you very much for taking the time to bring these Cottonee here. There have been several reports of that rogue Rufflet appearing and battling many Pokémon. I just wish someone would do something about it." The receptionist said sadly.

"Oh! I was so close to catching it!" Ash sighed.

"Pika…" Pikachu sighed too.

"Young man, if you were to catch that Rufflet, it would be great! Please, don't give up trying!" the receptionist said encouragingly.

"So, these Cottonee are good now, right? It's safe for us to leave?" Darrien confirmed.

"Yes, they are in safe hands. Thanks again for your help." The receptionist let them go. "Wait, excuse me!" Ash and Darrien turned around. "This Cottonee, it seems to want to see one of you…."

"Nee!" The Cottonee jumped into Darrien's afro. "Nee…" it began to nuzzle in his hair.

"What are you doing, Cottonee?" Darrien asked jokingly.

"I think it wants to come with us! You said something about a bond with Pokémon, right Darrien? I think this bond is obvious!" Ash said happily.

"But…I can't… you're a leader! You have a responsibility. Your group needs you." Darrien said sternly.

"We'll take care of these Cottonee, there's no need for worry about them. If this Cottonee does go with you, it will be missed, but surely the Cottonee will elect a new leader for their group." The receptionist reassured.

"Well…" Darrien began to contemplate.

"Nee…" Cottonee was anxious.

"Welcome aboard! Cottonee, you'll be my first Pokémon, my vintage, my premium brand!" Darrien pointed out excitedly.

"NEE!" Cottonee shouted happily.

Darrien took out a Poké Ball, and Cottonee happily jumped inside. It shook three times, then stopped. "ALL RIGHT, I GOT A COTTONEE!" Darrien was super excited.

Ash began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Darrien asked.

"Remember a couple days back when you called me a kid? Who's the kid now?" Ash joked.

"Oh you!" Darrien chased after Ash, who ran out of the rest stop and dashed towards Nacrene City.

* * *

_Not one, but two of our heroes have new additions to heir ever-growing family. Now, with Ash's sights refocused on Nacrene City and Cheren's, Bianca's, and Hilda's sights set on Striaton City, what adventures lay ahead? Well, the journey continues…_

_Author's Note: _*Unfortunately, I'm going on holiday, so there won't be new chapters for a while. However, once I'm back, I'll have a lot of free time, and there'll be a lot of new chapters!*


	5. Conflicting Dreams of Success!

**Pokémon: **_Best __Wishes_

Episode 5: **Conflicting Dreams of Success!**

_Last time, our heroes, Darrien and Ash, had run into some unexpected trouble while traveling through Pinwheel Forest en route to Nacrene City. Meanwhile, our friend Bianca had come to a solid realization about what she will do in the future. Now, Cheren, Bianca, and Hilda have arrived in Striaton City!_

* * *

"Yeah! We're finally here!" Hilda shouted out with both hands stretched in the air. She picked up her Gigi. "You excited, Gigi? We'll have the opportunity to have our own gym battle soon!" Hilda was beaming with anticipation.

Cheren smiled. "Wow, all this time I've known you, and I'd never guess you'd be excited to battle!" he remarked.

"Ok! Enough talk of battling, please!" Bianca said frantically. Her Lillipup was cupped tightly in her arms, and her Oshawott in its Poké Ball.

"What's up, B? You don't want to battle?" Hilda asked.

"Well…I want to continue on my journey…but isn't it a bit too soon to be going for a gym battle? I mean, I still would like to master Pokémon Basics first…." Bianca shrugged off.

"But B! We can't do it without you! You see, there are 3 leaders, all triplet brothers," Cheren began to explain. "We'll challenge them in a triple tag team battle! Think of it, our first major win and we could all do it together!" Cheren was trying to persuade Bianca.

"Well, I don't know… What do you think, Lillipup?" she asked looking hopefully at her new Pokémon.

"Pup! Pup!" It smiled at her and barked happily, not understanding what any of the three Trainers were going on about.

"Well, Cheren, maybe Bianca's right. We're trying to take on a gym, but we haven't exactly covered the basics yet. Why don't we all go to the Trainers' School? It's not too far from here." Hilda advised.

Cheren frowned. "I already know the basics…" He looked down at his Snivy, who was attentively taking in the new city environment around him. "Well, you two could go to the Trainers' School. I'll go with Snivy and Pidove to the Dreamyard. There's a Pokémon there called Panpour. Catching it will bring more balance to my team and help out in the gym battle." Cheren informed.

"Then it's settled! I guess we'll see ya later then, Cheren!" Bianca was happy. She grabbed a caught off guard Hilda in one arm, and quickly dashed off towards the school, with Gigi struggling to keep up.

Cheren laughed to himself. "Well, let's go Snivy." He began to walk into the direction of the Dreamyard.

"Hey, wait! Young man! Are you going to the Dreamyard?!" a female voice shouted out.

Cheren turned around. The person calling out to him had dark blue hair, wore classes, and had on a lab coat. She was stunningly beautiful, despite her choice of clothing. Cheren began to blush. "Um, are, are you talking to me?" Cheren muttered.

"Sni?" Snivy had never noticed this weird behavior in his trainer before.

"Yes, I am going to the Dreamyard to get some Dream Mist from a Musharna. See, this is my Munna here, and if you're going in that direction, I was wondering if you could help me. Oh! Where are my manners?! My name's Fennel." Fennel stuck out her hand to shake Cheren's. However, almost instinctively instead of completing the shake, he began to scan Munna on the Pokédex.

'_Munna, the Dream Eater Pokémon._ _It eats the dreams of people and Pokémon. When it eats a pleasant dream, it expels pink-colored mist.'_

Fennel took back her hand after realizing that he wasn't going to return the shake. "I'm Cheren, F-Fennel." His cheeks began to get rosy pink. "Um, may I ask? Why d-don't you evolve your Munna?"

"You see, I need a Moon Stone for that, and I don't have one unfortunately. Well, Cheren, can you help me? Will you go through the Dreamyard with me to find a Musharna?" Fennel looked so hopeful.

"Y-yeah, of course. But, you see, I already had a goal in mind." Cheren admitted.

"Oh, that's easy! We'll do both! What do you say?!" Fennel was a little overbearing for Cheren to handle.

"Y-yeah, let's do it!" Cheren smiled.

"Sni…" Snivy began to look concernedly at his trainer as they all traveled towards the Dreamyard.

* * *

"Hey, look Darrien! This sign says only 3 miles until Nacrene City! If we pick up the pace, we can get there before dark!" Ash was excited.

"Pika!" Pikachu was happily perched on Ash's shoulder. Ash and Pikachu were a bit ahead of Darrien, who was straggling behind, bonding with his new partner.

"So, I'm a connoisseur, Cottonee. That means I test the bonds between trainers and Pokémon. The fact that you're my first Pokémon makes you my premium brand! And that means our bond must be one of the best!" Darrien said encouragingly.

"Nee!" Cottonee was happy that he was so important to his new Trainer.

"DARRIEN! Let's pick up the pace! WE GOTTA GO!" Ash called back, dragging out each syllable. Suddenly, an invisible ripple sliced through the air, and hit Pikachu right off of Ash's shoulder!

"Pikachu!" Ash shouted in surprise.

"PIKA," Pikachu quickly got back on its feet and began to scan the area, knowing already who fired that Air Slash.

Darrien caught up with Ash now. "Ash, are you ok? What was that?!"

"Nee, nee…" Cottonee looked a bit frightened. Had that wretched Rufflet returned?

Swiftly, another sharp blade of air went firing at Pikachu. It detected this however, and released a Thunderbolt! "CHU!" It hit the Air Slash, causing a tiny explosion. Pikachu began to look around frantically. "Pika…" Where were these attacks coming from?

"No doubt. This is the work of Rufflet, presumably the same one from yesterday." Darrien concluded.

"Nee…" Cottonee cowered into Darrien's afro.

"You're kidding!" Ash couldn't believe it. "Rufflet! I challenge you! Show yourself!" Ash called out.

"RUFF!" Rufflet came charging at lightning-fast speed, so that the air around it parted, creating the appearance of white lights surround it.

"That's an Aerial Ace! Be on guard, Ash!" Darrien called from the sidelines.

"Pikachu, wait there!" Ash decided.

"RUFF!" It inched closer and closer, and just as it was to hit Pikachu, Ash called out.

"PIKACHU! DO IT, QUICK ATTACK! OUT OF THERE!" Pikachu quickly moved out the way, with a similar white light-stream following him.

"RUFF!" Rufflet crashed into the floor and began to shriek in pain.

"Now, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded.

"PikaCCCCCCHHHUUUUUUUU!" Pikachu let loose some serious voltage that shocked the Rufflet to its core!

"Now, Poké Ball!" Ash threw his Ball at Rufflet. He looked on in hope. It shook once. It shook twice. It shook a third time. Then…it stopped moving. "Is that it?" Ash asked. As soon as he finished his sentenced, the Ball opened, and Rufflet escaped, beginning to fly off. Within 3 seconds, it was out of sight.

"Wow, that's a tough Pokémon, Ash. Even after taking all of that from Pikachu, it can still manage to break free and fly off at such speed. You know what, that sorta reminds me of you. You've experienced a lot of things over your journey, but you continue on with such vigor and drive. You guys are meant for each other! If you were to capture Rufflet, I see great things ahead!" Darrien gave his dose of "tasting time".

"Wow, you really think so? Well, I gotta have it now! Come on, Pikachu! It couldn't have gotten too far! This could be our first capture in Unova, and it's a strong one to boot!" Ash and Pikachu began to run in the direction that Rufflet flew off in and Darrien and Cottonee followed.

* * *

"Woah, Hilda, do you know the answer to any of these questions?" Bianca was struggling. She and Hilda had arrived at the school and were taking a test on the basics of Pokémon Training. Gigi, Oshawott, and Lillipup were playing in the Pokémon Play Section.

"Shh, B, I can't help you cheat!" Hilda said sternly.

"Ugh, ok…" Bianca frowned. She read the question. "What item heals any status condition a Pokémon can suffer from?" She thought for about 5 seconds. "How am I supposed to know? I came here to learn, not be tested!" She was flustered and frustrated.

Hilda noticed that Bianca was really having a tough time. She giggled. "B, you know it, look at the choices. Antidote, Burn Heal, FULL HEAL, Awakening…." Hilda hoped her hint would give Bianca the answer.

"IT COULD BE ANY OF THESE!" Bianca was stumped.

"Sorry, B, then try to go with what you think is right…" Hilda continued to work on her test.

"Well, my mind's saying Burn Heal, so that must be it!" Bianca bubbled that choice in.

"NO!" Hilda got up from her seat.

"HILDA! BIANCA! Your tests are disqualified!" the proctor said monotonously. He came over and ripped them up.

"No! Now how am supposed to learn the basics of training?" Bianca was sad.

The proctor turned around. "You two, let's leave the rest of them to finish the test. Come with me out to the garden." The proctor took Hilda and Bianca out to the garden, which had lots of grass and flowers and fountains. The shrubs were cut into the shapes of Pokémon. "You seem really ambitious. I think the best thing that you two could do for experience is to well- experience! Maybe the classroom setting isn't the best for you guys." The proctor explained.

"You see, we were going to challenge the gym leaders, but then realized we really didn't know a thing about Training. That's why we really wanted to come here…" Hilda tried to fill in the blanks for the man.

"Is that so?" the man asked. "Well, Cilan, one of the brothers of the Striaton Gym, is coming over here later today to give a lecture on Pokémon Training. Maybe you guys should swing by then."

"Well, what are we supposed to do until he comes?" Bianca was impatient.

"Train! Against each other! There's no easier way for both of you to get stronger if not to battle each other! What do you say, I'll be the referee!" the proctor suggested.

"What!? Me battle Hilda! I can't! She'll beat me in one hit!" Bianca really wasn't up for battle.

"Come on, B. You had a battle before, and I still haven't. Maybe that could come into play here. I'd like to battle, and I'd be honored if you were my opponent." Hilda offered.

Bianca thought hard. "Fine! Hilda, let's do this!" Bianca got her Lillipup. Hilda got her Gigi.

"This will be a one on one battle. One side loses when their Pokémon are unable to go on any further. Battle begin!" the proctor called out.

* * *

"Rufflet! Come on out! I challenge you! Rufflet!" Ash called out anxiously for his opponent.

"Pika!" Pikachu was ready too.

"Waddle! Waddle!" A Sewaddle came running hysterically out of a shrub. Following it was Rufflet.

"Rufflet's terrorizing the wild Pokémon again!" Darrien said angrily. Cottonee didn't dare come out of his hair.

"Pick on someone of equal strength! Like me! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"CHU!" Pikachu let loose a Thunderbolt, which Rufflet quickly dodged. The Sewaddle escaped, much to Rufflet's disappointment.

"LET!" Rufflet flapped its wings and two blades of air came firing at Pikachu!

"Pikachu! Do it, Thunder Armor!" Pikachu commanded.

"Thunder Armor?" Darrien had never heard that one before.

"CHU!" Pikachu began to do Thunderbolt while spinning around, so that a barrier of wild electricity protected it, but still struck wildly, and hit Rufflet!

"LETT!" Rufflet dropped to the floor.

"Woah, Ash! When did you learn to do that?" Darrien was impressed.

"Learned it from a friend in the Sinnoh Region! She was a coordinator, you see. Ok, now, Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Ash commanded.

"Pika!" Pikachu lunged at Rufflet, causing it to go flying into a tree!

"Let…" Rufflet couldn't move! It was paralyzed!

"Perfect! Now go Poké Ball!" Ash threw his Ball! It shook once. It shook twice. And now a third! Then, a blue light surrounded the inner circle. Rufflet was caught! "ALL RIGHT! I GOT MY FIRST POKÉMON IN UNOVA! AND IT'S RUFFLET!" Ash shouted out.

"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu was happy that he successfully weakened Rufflet for Ash.

"Now, come on out, Rufflet!" Ash sent Rufflet out.

"Ash…Rufflet seems a bit…upset…." Darrien pointed out. Rufflet had pure anger in its eyes. IT charged at Ash. It couldn't believe that it let itself get caught!

"WAIT RUFFLET WHAT ARE YOU DOIN'!" Rufflet began to peck at Ash over and over again.

"Pikachu! Thunderbolt!"

"CHU!" Pikachu shocked both Ash and Rufflet, with both of them fainting.

"Great power as usual Pikachu…." Ash was fried! Pikachu looked on in surprise of his power, while Cottonee and Darrien giggled to themselves.

* * *

"So, w-with this Dream Mist, you'd be able to see the dreams of any living organism, including things like plants?" Cheren inquired.

"Yes or at least thoughts being processed. My Munna can only show the dreams of sleeping Pokémon, but Musharna can show dreams of Pokémon, people, berries, you name it!" Fennel became excited.

Cheren saw a drive in Fennel that he found extremely attractive. He tried to make conversation. "So, I'm challenging the gym later. I'm looking for a-"

"WAIT! Shh…" Fennel quieted Cheren, cutting him off. A Musharna loomed in the distance minding its own business. "Hey," she whispered to Munna. "Go make nice with Musharna. If that doesn't work, then Cheren'll assist me in weakening it for capture." Fennel reassured.

"Munna!" Munna levitated off to Musharna. During this, Cheren scanned it on his Pokédex.

_'Musharna, the Drowsing Pokémon. With the mist from its forehead, it can create shapes of things from dreams it has eaten.'_

"Munna, mun, mun, munna!"Munna tried to persuade Musharna into being captured.

"SHARNA!" It shook its head no.

"Munna!" Munna tried again.

"SHAR!" Musharna fired off a peculiar colorful ray at Munna!

"MUNNA!" It shrieked.

"Hey! What was the Psybeam for?!" Fennel came out of hiding.

"Shar?"

"Cheren, go on, I need you to help!" Fennel shouted.

"Ok, Snivy, let's go, Vine Whip!" Cheren commanded.

"SNI!" His whips slapped Musharna hard, and it crashed into the floor.

"Ok, here goes!" Fennel threw a Dream Ball! It was like a Poké Ball but colored in different shades of pink and purple. The ball shook three times, and the Musharna was captured. She sent it out.

"Shar!" Musharna was docile and awaited Fennel's command.

"Listen, I'm really sorry for hurting you. But you are extremely vital to my research. I don't want to make you do something that you don't want to, however. Do you agree to help me?" Fennel asked.

"Sharna!" It happily agreed.

"Ok, now use Hypnosis on Cheren!" She commanded.

"W-wait, what?!" Cheren was taken aback. Quickly, he was lulled to sleep.

"Sni!" Snivy was shocked, but couldn't do anything about it.

"Your trainer's looking for a Pokémon, right Snivy? I'm going to use Musharna to read his dream, find the Pokémon, and give it to him all before he wakes up, what do you say? You know, as thanks for him helping me!" Fennel explained.

"Sni!" Snivy agreed.

* * *

"Listen up, Rufflet…I'm your trainer now, and you're going to have to accept it. Stop giving me the cold shoulder." Ash was trying to get through to an unruly and defiant Rufflet.

Rufflet had his back to Ash and refused to give any indication that he was going to give in.

Ash looked up at Darrien and sighed. "I thought you said that we were compatible and stuff. Why is it that I can't get through to Rufflet?" Ash asked.

"Well, of course it's going to be tough in the beginning. Maybe Rufflet needs time to process that it's no longer able to do whatever it wants whenever it wants. It needs to learn to trust you and it needs to see that you're a capable trainer. Maybe after all that, it'll show some affection. Trust me; it's probably better this way. When Rufflet finally does come around, the bond between you two will be really strong, almost as strong as the bond between you and Pikachu!" Darrien tried to comfort Ash.

"Well, you're the connoisseur…I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Anyway, let's continue traveling, we're getting closer to Nacrene City." The group all began to move, except for Rufflet. Ash sighed. "Rufflet, return."

* * *

"Tackle, Lillipup! Keep on Gigi!" Bianca was getting into her own little groove of battling.

"Dodge, Gigi, then Defense Curl!" Hilda shouted.

"PUP!" Lillipup charged at Gigi, who quickly dodged, and rolled, but the pace was a bit fast, and the roll turned into a Rollout, which sent Lillipup flying!

"Wow, what was that?" Hilda was excited.

"Your Gigi has just learned Rollout. Congratulations," the proctor said.

"OK! Time for a combination! Flame Charge, then into Rollout!" Hilda commanded.

"Wait, you can't do two attacks! Fine then, Tackle, then Bite, dear Lillipup!" Bianca wanted to settle the score.

"Pig, pig, pig!" Gigi was covered in flames and was quickly approaching Lillipup, who was also charging at her. Then, Gigi rolled up, bit lost momentum! CHOMP! Lillipup built up speed from the Tackle, and the Bite had a lot more gusto than it would have normally! "PIG!" Gigi shouted in pain.

"What happened to my combination?" Hilda shouted out.

"It's great you are trying to make combinations, but what you described is a move called Flame Wheel, a move that Tepig cannot learn." The proctor explained.

"WOOHOO! Dear Lillipup, that was great! Now, let's lower their defenses with Leer!" Bianca began to think of countless strategies and was having a lot of fun.

"Grr…" Lillipup made a menacing look, and looked Gigi straight in the eye so she began to whimper.

"Hey, Gigi, what's going on?! You ok? Oh no!" Hilda was freaking out.

"Hilda, you have to keep your cool. You're letting Bianca take control of the battle. If your calm, you can make better decisions." The proctor advised.

"Shake it off, Gigi! Those Flame Charges should've really boosted your speed! Let's go, Rollout, again, and again! Use that speed!" Hilda shouted confidently.

"What's she up to?" Bianca was thoroughly enjoying the battle. "Nice try, Hilda! Now, Lillipup, use Gigi's momentum, and knock it back with Tackle!"

"Pig!" Gigi rolled into a ball and at an amazingly fast pace, shot around, with poor accuracy, aiming for Lillipup.

"What's wrong, Gigi? Hit!" Hilda didn't understand why this battle was so difficult. Gigi rolled into a nearby tree! And soon after, Lillipup hit into her too!

"PIG!" Gigi struggled to stand.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry, Hila! I think we really hurt Gigi! We didn't mean to! Dear Lillipup tell her you're sorry!" Bianca was genuinely worried.

Hilda wore a blank expression on her face. Had Bianca, the girl who was supposedly behind her and Cheren in training, beat her in battle? She then smiled. "Well, B, I got to give it to ya. You're really strong. When we challenge the gym, I know we'll win!" She hugged Bianca, to show that there were no hard feelings, and picked up Gigi. The proctor checked his watch.

"Oh my! Well girls, Cilan is here. Are you two interested in the lecture?" the proctor asked.

Bianca and Hilda looked at each other. "You know what, we'll pass." Bianca started.

"Like you said, we'll just experience things our own way. Right now, we have to go the Pokémon Center. A good Trainer knows when to heal their Pokémon." Hilda said cheerfully.

The proctor smiled. "I wish you two ladies good luck in your gym battle, and on the rest of your journey.

"Thanks, see ya!" Bianca said happily as she and Hilda waved as they walked towards the Center.

* * *

"Dove,dove!" Pidove came flying to Fennel.

"So you've found a Panpour?" Fennel asked.

"VY!" Snivy brightened up.

"Dove!" It nodded yes.

"Show us! Snivy, get ready to battle! Munna, Musharna, watch Cheren! We'll be right back!" Fennel and Snivy followed Cheren's Pidove.

They came to a clearing, where a Panpour was playing in the trees. "Ok, Pidove, fly up there and try to convince Panpour to join Cheren." Fennel said nicely.

"Dove," Pidove flew up to Panpour and tried to persuade it to join Cheren's team.

"Pour!" It actually agreed and jumped down to Fennel, thinking she was Cheren. It jumped into Fennel's arms.

"Sni?" Snivy was dumbfounded. Was it really that easy?

"You see, Snivy, not all Pokémon need to be battled to be captured. Violence isn't the answer always. Sometimes you need to just open your heart. Let's go back." It wasn't long until they arrived back to their original location, and a waking Cheren. He yawned loudly.

"Snivy? Fennel? Hello?!"He looked around and only saw Munna and Musharna, and realized Pidove's Poké Ball was missing!

"Over here, sleepy head! Here's your Panpour!" Fennel crept up from behind and Panpour jumped into his arms.

"What?" Cheren couldn't understand what was happening.

"Well, as thanks for helping me obtain Musharna, as well as for being my first test subject in seeing how Musharna shows human dreams, I thought I'd catch you a Panpour. Well, you still have to catch it; it just obediently tagged along…" Fennel began to ramble.

_'Panpour, the Spray Pokémon. It does not thrive in dry environments. It keeps itself damp by shooting water stored in its head tuft from its tail.'_

Cheren captured the Panpour and returned his Pidove. "W-wow, Fennel. You're awesome." He began to blush.

Fennel smiled. "Here," He gave Cheren a kiss on the cheek and returned her Musharna. "Good luck in your gym battle, and hey, maybe you will be the champion of the Unova League!" She winked at him and walked off.

Cheren was bright red and couldn't believe what just happened.

"Sni?" Snivy was oblivious to what was happening to his trainer.

"Huh, so she can read dreams. Well, she's right! I will be the champion of the Unova League, and I'll crush anyone who'll get in my way!" Cheren declared. He and Snivy proudly found their way out of the Dreamyard.

* * *

"Darrien! Look! Nacrene City straight ahead!" Ash pointed out,

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted happily.

"What are you waiting for, let's go!" Darrien ran past Ash, as the gang all ran off into the sunset, towards the forecoming gym battle!

* * *

_Things are getting exciting for our heroes! Bianca is starting to believe in abilities as a Trainer, while Hilda is beginning to realize that being a Trainer is not as easy as she previously thought. Cheren has made a declaration to becoming the Unova League Champ, but does our hero Ash have anything to say about that? Two stories, two gym battles! What will happen? Stay tuned!_

_Author's Note:_ *Hey guys, I'm back! I'll try to upload a new story every weekend, like the animé does it. Thanks for taking the time to read, and have a great day! :D *


End file.
